COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

2012 Olympic Games

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers she has to limit the increase in the Greater London Authority council tax precept in relation to the Olympic Games cost over-runs.

Phil Woolas: The Government's capping powers are set out in the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended by the Local Government Act 1999. In order to cap, the Secretary of State must decide if an authority's budget requirement is excessive; she would do this by determining capping principles. One principle must be a comparison of an authority's budget requirement with that of a previous year—other principles are at the Secretary of State's discretion.
	The Government and the Mayor of London agreed, in 2003, that the London council-tax payer would contribute £625 million to the 2012 Olympic Games. This was set out in the Government Response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee Report —"A London Olympic Bid for 2012" (HC268), presented to Parliament in June 2003, and is already reflected in the current GLA precept. It can be changed only with the agreement of the Government and Mayor.

Affordable Housing

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what procedures her Department has in place to monitor the extent to which local authorities are meeting targets for affordable housing set in their local plans;
	(2)  what factors she will take into account in deciding whether to impose penalties on local authorities which fail to meet targets for affordable housing set in their local plans.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Statement 3—Housing requires local authorities to set targets in local plans for the amount of affordable housing to be delivered in their area. These targets should reflect current and future levels of need, the new definition of affordable housing, and the viability of land for housing in their area, including likely levels of grant and developer contributions.
	Local authorities are required to submit annual monitoring reports (AMRs) to the Secretary of State through Government offices. These report the extent to which policies, including affordable housing policies, in local development documents are being successfully implemented. Where appropriate, AMRs should set out the actions that authorities will take to address any underperformance. The Housing Corporation also monitors the delivery of the majority of affordable homes, which are funded by social housing grant.
	There are checks within the planning system to ensure local planning authorities (LPAs) meet affordable housing targets. If they fail to propose an acceptable target in their plans, the Secretary of State may call in a plan or direct them to modify the target. In terms of delivering the target, PPS3 requires LPAs to develop implementation strategies in their plans. The Secretary of Sate my also call in planning applications where they raise issues of wider strategic importance or represent a departure from the plan.

Community Governance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria the Government will adopt for approving proposals for effective community governance; and what mechanisms are in place to prevent extremist groups setting up a parish council.

Phil Woolas: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill provides that in future principal councils will be responsible for putting in place community governance arrangements, and when doing so must have regard to the need to secure that community governance reflects the identities and interests of local communities, and to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State. We intend to include in this statutory guidance a provision that councils should consider the impact on community cohesion when deciding community governance arrangements.

Comprehensive Performance Assessments

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the planned difference is between comprehensive performance assessments and comprehensive area assessments.

Phil Woolas: We will be moving to a more proportionate and risk-based system. This will build on the strengths of CPA and will be known as the comprehensive area assessment (CAA). Unlike the comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) which was established to bring together views on the current performance of a local authority, the new risk assessment will look at risk and will focus more on areas rather than just institutions.
	It will comprise the following elements:
	an annual risk assessment
	a scored use of resources judgment
	a scored direction of travel.
	Instead of rolling programmes of major inspection like CPA corporate assessment and Children's Services Joint Area Reviews, inspection will primarily be triggered by the results of the CAA.
	The Audit Commission will be working with the other inspectorates and stakeholders to develop and trial the risk assessment methodology over the next two to three years.

Correspondence

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to the letter of 23 October 2006 from the hon. Member for Kettering on planning guidance for affordable and starter homes.

Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to the hon. Member's letter. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Council Tax

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much council tax has not been collected because of erroneous addressing in the last two years.

Phil Woolas: This information is not available centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Councillors

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many councillors there were in each local authority in England since 1990, excluding parish councillors and town councillors.

Phil Woolas: Decisions as to the number of councillors in a local authority are matters for the independent Electoral Commission. They have records dating from 1998 (for district councils) and 2002 (for county councils). The information has been sent to the hon. Member and placed in the House of Commons Library.

Departmental Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the reasons were for the movement of £274,000 of her Department's funding from voted to non-voted provision in November 2006's departmental expenditure limits and supplementary estimates.

Angela Smith: The transfer of £274,000 effected in the statement on Communities and Local Government departmental expenditure limits 21 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 23-26WS, and the winter supplementary estimates, related to a movement of funds from non-voted to voted expenditure for the Valuation Office Agency for the reason set out in the answer to the hon. Lady.

Departmental Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Department for Communities and Local Government's expenditure on hospitality and entertainment was in 1996-97.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's answer of 9 February 1998 to the right hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane),  Official Report, column 17W, which provides the global figure for Government expenditure on ministerial entertaining and hospitality for official purposes in 1996-97.
	Records on non-ministerial expenditure for 1996-97 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Meeting

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities sent representatives to the meeting at her Department on 31 October 2006 on data sharing; and what the formal title was of the event.

Phil Woolas: Officials from my Department held a meeting entitled 'Data Sharing Guidance and Legal Barriers for Local Authority Revenues Practitioners Meeting' on 1 November 2006 to discuss the need for data sharing guidance for revenues practitioners. The meeting was attended by a range of stakeholders including representatives from Guildford borough council, Birmingham city council, the London borough of Tower Hamlets, the London borough of Hounslow and the London borough of Barking and Dagenham. The meeting agreed that a short, focused document would be useful in assisting practitioners to make informed decisions about when data could be shared in the interests of improved customer service delivery. Work on the guidance is ongoing, with a view to publication in the spring.

Departmental Travel

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 172W, on departmental travel, what the  (a) destination and  (b) purpose was of each of the visits abroad by staff in her Department in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 18 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1613W.

Domestic Violence

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets have been set for the number of high-security safe rooms to be built in the homes of victims of domestic violence over the next five years.

Meg Munn: The Department encourages local authorities to operate a Sanctuary Scheme as part of their strategy to tackle and prevent homelessness. Schemes provide security measures to allow those experiencing domestic violence (and other hate crimes) to remain in their own accommodation where it is safe for them to do so, where it is their choice and where the perpetrator no longer lives within the accommodation.
	A victim's freedom of choice is central to the success of the scheme. I do not, therefore, consider it inappropriate to set targets for each local authority to install Sanctuary Schemes.
	However best value performance indicator 225 measures how local authorities increase the options for victims of domestic violence. In order to score fully on this indicator local authorities will need to have a Sanctuary Scheme in place.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what the estimated average total cost including VAT is of a home information pack  (a) without a home condition report and  (b) including an energy performing certificate from June 2007;
	(2)  what the total estimated cost of home information packs is  (a) before and  (b) after VAT.

Yvette Cooper: The price of the pack will be determined by the market, not Government. Estimated costs were set out in the RIA in June. These are being revised in light of the trials, discussions with stakeholders and further research.

Hotels

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to her answer of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 745W, on hotels, which organisations have made written representations to her Department, excluding submissions sent only to Sir Michael Lyons, relating to local taxation on hotel accommodation in the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: In the last 12 months, this Department has received representations on local taxation on hotel accommodation from the following organisations:
	The Stagg Inn, Kington
	Temple Sowerby House Hotel and Restaurant, Penrith
	Wadworth and Company Limited, Northgate Brewery, Devizes
	Arkell's Brewery Limited, Swindon
	Gravetye Manor, Sussex
	Cavendish Hotel, Derbyshire
	The Old Forge Hotel, Nottinghamshire
	Bedford Lodge Hotel, Suffolk
	Pontins, Blackpool Holiday Centre
	VisitWorthing, Sussex
	Midland Shire Hotels, Wellingborough
	Boswell House Hotel, Chelmsford
	Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association
	Elstead Classic Hotel, Bournemouth
	The Bull Auberge, Suffolk
	St. Ives Parish Council, Cornwall
	Stratford on Avon District of the Hospitality Association
	Lysses Hotel, Fareham
	Travelodge
	Tourism Alliance

Housing

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the allocation to social housing in the Chelmsford local authority area was given to families and individuals who were resident outside the Chelmsford local authority area prior to an offer of housing being made in each of the last 10 years.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 16 January 2007
	In 2004-05, 20 per cent. of allocated social housing in the Chelmsford local authority area was given to families and individuals who were resident outside the Chelmsford area. In 2005-06, the figure was 15 per cent. For 2007, the proportion up to December was 19 per cent.

Housing Data Warehouse

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data the Valuation Office Agency is providing for the Housing Data Warehouse.

Phil Woolas: Compilations of the published Council Tax Valuation List.

Local Authority Charging

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government have plans to allow local authorities to charge local residents for  (a) pest control,  (b) hedge cutting,  (c) CCTV provision,  (d) graffiti and fly-posting removal and  (e) pre-application planning advice.

Phil Woolas: Section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003 provides a power for authorities to charge on a cost recovery basis for discretionary services where they have the power to provide the service, and the recipient has agreed to its provision and agrees to pay for it. Decisions on the use of section 93 are for local authorities to make in the light of the circumstances relevant to each area. However, local authorities are able to charge for statutory services where specific provision exists in legislation.
	Local authorities have powers to require the clearance of fly-posting and graffiti and to take action to deal with pest infestations in certain circumstances, including the recovery of costs.
	The Department has commissioned research into the cost of the planning service to local authorities and as part of this we have asked the researchers to consider the costs of non-fee related work including pre-application advice and discussions.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistical measures or attributes have a role in the determination of the distribution and allocation of revenue support grant to local authorities.

Phil Woolas: Distribution of formula grant, which comprises Revenue Support Grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula Police Grant, where appropriate, is based on the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the authority, together with the number of band-D equivalent properties in the area, subject to a minimum percentage increase (the 'floor') on a like-for-like basis.
	Details of the data used for the current year can be found in The Local Government Finance Report (England) 2006/07 (HC 858), approved by the House on 6 February 2006, together with supporting documentation published by the Department for Communities and Local Government for that settlement.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the average council tax bill in England is  (a) property-based and  (b) service-based.

Phil Woolas: Council tax bills are not made up of discrete property-based and service-based charges.

Local Government Reform

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether small district councils will be able to keep the committee system under the Government's proposals for further local government reform.

Phil Woolas: As paragraph 3.26 of the White Paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities" states, we do not intend to change the arrangements in the small number of authorities that, because of their small size, operate a reformed committee system.

Lyons Review

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations the Audit Commission has made to  (a) her Department and  (b) Sir Michael Lyons' review on reform of local government finance.

Phil Woolas: The Audit Commission made a submission in 2003 to the Balance of Funding Review for which my Department was responsible. A copy has been placed in the Library. While submissions to the Lyons inquiry are a matter for Sir Michael, I understand that copies of all submissions from organisations to the Lyons inquiry up to the time of the inquiry's May report, including those from the Commission, are available on the inquiry's website at http://www.lyonsinquiry.org.uk and that Sir Michael intends to publish further submissions at the time of his final report.

Mapping Data and Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) purpose and  (b) main areas of expenditure were of (i) the £100,000 payment to the East of England Development Agency, (ii) the £274,000 payment to the Valuation Office Agency, (iii) £7.7 million expenditure on mapping data and services and (iv) the £1,160,000 transfer to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office referred to in her written statement of 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 23WS.

Phil Woolas: The information is as follows.
	 (i) East of England Development Agency
	The £100,000 additional provision for the East of England Development Agency is funding for the Essex Green Grid environmental projects which were not completed in the previous financial year. The Essex Green Grid is a strategy for developing the urban and rural environment through the linking of green spaces via environmental improvements, greenways, cycle routes etc.
	 (ii) Valuation Office Agency
	An increase of £274,000 was made to the Department's annual budget for right to buy revaluations, reflecting a rise in the charge made by the Valuation Office Agency for revaluations requested by tenants. However, the number of right to buy applications has since fallen significantly and fewer tenants have therefore requested revaluations. As a consequence, it is unlikely that the additional £274,000 will now be required for reimbursement payments to the agency.
	 (iii) Mapping Data and Services
	The £7.7 million for mapping and data services is expenditure on the Pan-Government Agreement, a collective purchasing agreement to provide geographic information to central Government. The expenditure represents other Departments' share of the cost of the agreement and is fully offset by income from them.
	 (iv) Deputy Prime Minister's Office
	The transfer of £1,160,000 relates to the costs of functions which transferred from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to the new Deputy Prime Minister's Office in the machinery of government changes of 5 May 2006.

ODPM Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will break down expenditure on hospitality by the Private Office of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005-06 by main budget heading.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on, 6 November,  Official Report, column 867W.

Ordnance Survey

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Director General of Ordnance Survey takes to separate her responsibility as a vendor of services to government from her role as the Government's Geographic Information Adviser.

Angela Smith: Within Ordnance Survey responsibility for those activities concerned with provision of products and services to users including Government, and for those concerned with provision of advice are held by different and separate groups of officials. Communities and Local Government has a Minister responsible for Ordnance Survey as a customer, with responsibilities for procurement of geographic information, and a Minister responsible for Ordnance Survey as shareholder for Ordnance Survey. Officials working on these distinct areas within CLG are in separate teams and report to the appropriate Minister.
	Ministers also receive advice and recommendations on key medium to long-term geographic information issues from the United Kingdom Geographic Information Panel, established in 2005.

Parish and Town Councils

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) parish and  (b) town councils there are in England.

Phil Woolas: There are approximately 8,700 parish and town councils in England. The Department does not hold figures which distinguish between them.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many development plan documents under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 have been refused by the Planning Inspectorate.

Yvette Cooper: Five development plan documents have been found unsound by the Planning Inspectorate.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the plan documents which local planning authorities must produce as a result of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The local development framework should contain the following development plan documents: core strategy; site specific allocations of land; and area action plans (where needed). Local planning authorities are also required to produce a Local Development Scheme, a Statement of Community Involvement and Annual Monitoring Reports.

Private Finance Initiative

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the long-term costs and liabilities arising from private finance initiative credits are to fire and rescue authorities.

Angela Smith: Private finance initiative (PFI) credits are allocated to fire and rescue authorities as contributions to support the capital element of each PFI project. The current long-term costs and liabilities to fire and rescue authorities from current signed schemes are in terms of payments to contractors. Over the remaining length of the current projects in operation this amounts to £487 million. PFI credits awarded to these projects by the Department provide grant to the fire and rescue authorities which will amount to £214 million over the remaining period. This will be used by the authorities to offset their liabilities.

Special Advisers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any of the special advisers employed by her Department have registered external employment.

Angela Smith: All external employment of special advisers is registered and retained by the Department in accordance with the principles of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code. No external employment has been registered in the last year.

Special Advisers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 904W, on special advisers, what the difference is between a special adviser and a policy adviser; and how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) policy advisers are employed by her Department.

Angela Smith: Special advisers are appointed by Ministers and add a political dimension to the advice and assistance available to them. Policy advisers are permanent civil servants who provide policy advice to Ministers but are required to be politically neutral.
	There are currently three special advisers and two policy advisers employed in the Department. Special advisers and civil servants operate under their respective codes.

Sustainable Communities Bill

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether  (a) she and  (b) her Ministers intend to attend any of the forthcoming public meetings on the Sustainable Communities Bill;
	(2)  if she will make it her Department's policy to support the Sustainable Communities Bill;
	(3)  how many public meetings  (a) she and  (b) her Ministers have attended on the Sustainable Communities Bill;
	(4)  how many invitations  (a) she and  (b) her Ministers have received to speak at public meetings on the Sustainable Communities Bill.

Phil Woolas: Ministers have received a number of invitations to meetings relating to this Bill, and therefore, we recently met supporters of the Bill to discuss the issues it seeks to address and the relationship to the Government's Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use the Valuation Office Agency is making of its automated valuation model in its current valuation exercise; and whether the agency is using the model for valuing domestic properties when  (a) the property is sold,  (b) a new property is built and  (c) the property is valued after a material change at the request of the owner.

Phil Woolas: There is no "current valuation exercise" as the council tax revaluation in England has been postponed. Elements used in automated valuation modelling are being developed for use in supporting the normal day-to-day work of continuing to maintain the current (1993) lists.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Adoption

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what average time was taken to obtain a court date from the time of application for an adoption placement order in  (a) London and  (b) other parts of England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: More up-to-date information than that provided to the hon. Member in my answer of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 932W, is not available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Islamic Shariah Council

Paul Goodman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether Ministers and civil servants in her Department have held meetings with the Islamic Shariah Council; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Neither Ministers nor officials from this Department have held meetings with the Islamic Shariah Council.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Studies

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006,  Official Report, column 812W, on departmental studies, if she will place in the Library a copy of  (a) Measuring elasticity of tourism demand,  (b) Casino impacts scoping study,  (c) Independent technical review on sport and leisure facility equity indicators,  (d) Sport's contribution to achieving wider social benefits,  (e) economic impact of Department of Culture, Media and Sports cultural investment,  (f) Creative industries analysis,  (g) Review of evidence base for delivering SP2/PSA3,  (h) Willingness to pay for work to inform licence fee setting,  (i) Assessing the readiness of social housing sector for digital switchover,  (j) Assessing the impact of 2005 Gambling Act on internet gambling,  (k) International dimension of the creative economy,  (l) Exploring creative industry spillovers,  (m) Governance of non-departmental public bodies,  (n) Knowledge economy,  (o) Scoping links between the creative industry and the rest of the economy and  (p) Museums indicators revisions.

David Lammy: Items  (a), (b), (d), (e), (g), (i), (k), (I), (m), (o), and  (p) are not yet complete, but the Department will place copies in the Libraries of the House at a later date. Items  (f) and  (h) have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Items  (j) and  (n) will soon be placed in the Libraries of the House. Item  (c) contains commercially sensitive information, so there are no plans to make the document publicly available.

Legal Advice

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by the Department on external legal advice in each of the past five years.

David Lammy: On the basis of available records, the total cost to the Department of external legal advice in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2002-03 524,059.86 
			 2003-04 490,242.08 
			 2004-05 791,050.23 
			 2005-06 456,480.95 
			 2006-07(1) 209,887.87 
			 (1) Spend to date.

Performing Arts

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public money was allocated to  (a) theatre,  (b) ballet and  (c) opera in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The following tables show the Arts Council's funding commitments (both grant in aid and lottery) to  (a) theatre,  (b) ballet and  (c) opera between 2001-02 and 2005-06.
	
		
			  (a) Theatre 
			   Total (£ million) 
			 2001-02 74.32 
			 2002-03 79.49 
			 2003-04 116.42 
			 2004-05 192.76 
			 2005-06 122.23 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Ballet 
			   Total (£ million) 
			 2001-02 26.75 
			 2002-03 22.30 
			 2003-04 27.47 
			 2004-05 26.69 
			 2005-06 27.79 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Opera 
			   Total (£ million) 
			 2001-02 38.89 
			 2002-03 40.41 
			 2003-04 52.91 
			 2004-05 46.70 
			 2005-06 53.33 
		
	
	The 2004-05 figures for theatre include the one-off capital awards of £46.46 million to the RSC and £10 million to Leeds city council for the redevelopment of the Grand Theatre. Funding information broken down by art form for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 is not available.

Performing Arts

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the public subsidy for the performing arts was in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The following table shows the Arts Council's funding commitments (both grant in aid and lottery) to theatre, music, dance and collaborative arts between 2001-02 and 2005-06.
	
		
			   Total (£ million) 
			 2001-02 247.71 
			 2002-03 251.95 
			 2003-04 323.89 
			 2004-05 409.26 
			 2005-06 331.85 
		
	
	The 2004-05 figures include the one-off capital awards of £46.46 million to the RSC and £10 million to Leeds city council for the redevelopment of the Grand Theatre. Funding information broken down by art form for the years 1997-98 to 2000-01 is not available.

West Jesmond School

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has received the recommendations from English Heritage on the spot-listing of West Jesmond school, Newcastle; and if she will take an urgent decision on the matter.

David Lammy: An application to list West Jesmond school was made to English Heritage in November 2006. English Heritage have considered all the evidence and are in the process of submitting their report to the Department. Once we have received English Heritage's advice, the Secretary of State will determine whether the school should be added to the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.

DEFENCE

Astute Class Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Astute class submarines will be built; and at what unit cost.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 January 2007
	Three Astute class submarines are on order with BAE Systems (Submarine Solutions), and further boat orders are currently being considered, subject to affordability. We are working with industry as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy to achieve an affordable and sustainable submarine programme.
	The NAO's Major Project Report for 2006 reported an expected total cost of £3,656 million for the three Astute class submarines.

Bearskins

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Guards' Regiment bearskin caps have been refurbished and  (b) bear pelts were purchased in each of the last five years; what the total cost of refurbishment was; what the cost of a pelt is in 2007; how many pelts are needed for the production of a new cap; what estimate he has made of the likely number of new pelts which will be required in each of the next two years; what progress is being made towards finding a synthetic replacement for bearskin caps; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not buy bear pelts, only completed caps. The cost of pelts is a matter for the contractor. The number of completed caps purchased for the Guards Regiments in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 63 
			 2002 179 
			 2003 90 
			 2004 111 
			 2005 51 
		
	
	An estimated 550 bearskin caps have been refurbished since 2001 at a cost of approximately £150,000. Information on the number of caps refurbished year by year is not held centrally.
	Between one and two caps can be made from one pelt. It is not possible to say exactly how many new bearskin caps will be required in the future as this depends on the Guards' requirements, which we currently estimate to be about 100 caps per year, and also on how many existing caps can be refurbished.
	The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) continue to develop faux fur and have furnished samples for testing to MOD over the last two years, which included a trial of caps using a faux fur. These tests revealed that the faux fur performs unsatisfactorily in wet weather conditions. We are continuing to work with PETA to find an alternative and all parties concerned are taking the search for an alternative to bearskins very seriously.

Comfire

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the efficacy of Comfire as a fire-resistant material; and in which  (a) Royal Navy and  (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels it is planned for incorporation.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 January 2007
	The Ministry of Defence has assessed two types of Comfire material, Comfire 330 HPL and Comfire 330/660, as approved for use on both submarines and surface ships in respect of their fire characteristics. Comfire material is in use in the Type 45 Destroyer and is currently being assessed for use on future Astute Class submarines. The company have also bid for work on CVF. Available records do not indicate its use in any other RN/RFA vessels, nor of any plans to do so. In general, future use of the material is likely to be determined by competitive procurement including compliance with any invoked civilian or military standards.

Council Tax

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to report to the House on the outcome of the discussion with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the proposed exemption of members of the armed forces serving overseas from paying council tax.

Derek Twigg: Discussions between the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Communities and Local Government about how best to provide support for the council tax costs of service personnel on operations overseas are ongoing.

Defence Budget

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by how much the defence budget reduced as a consequence of the 1998 strategic defence review.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 January 2007
	The comprehensive spending review 1998 (CSR98) settlement set defence spending plans for the period 1999-2000 to 2001-02. These reflected improvements in the efficiency of the Ministry of Defence and reallocation of resources to the priorities identified in the strategic defence review. The settlement increased the defence budget by £747 million across the CSR98 period, which in real terms represented a reduction of 2.4 per cent. The defence budget has increased by around 8.7 per cent. in real terms since 1999-2000.

Departmental Equipment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's  (a) computers and  (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows the quantities of laptops and computers assessed as stolen for the last nine years:
	
		
			  Number 
			   Laptops stolen  PCs stolen 
			 1998 9 n/a 
			 1999 23 0 
			 2000 38 1 
			 2001 32 4 
			 2002 49 5 
			 2003 73 3 
			 2004 173 2 
			 2005 40 6 
			 2006 66 2 
		
	
	Since 2003 it has been obligatory for all MOD units and establishments to report incidents of loss or theft of computing equipment to the MOD's joint security co-ordination centre (JSyCC). The data are now collated on a central JSyCC database. Prior to 2003 incidents were reported but the reporting requirement made no distinction between losses and thefts and details were not collated centrally. The JSyCC database does not include details of the cost of the equipment concerned, and therefore the MOD is unable to provide fully accurate details of their value without disproportionate effort.

HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how long  (a) HMS Ark Royal and  (b) HMS Illustrious are scheduled to remain in commission.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 January 2007
	On present plans the out of service dates for HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious are 2012 and 2015 respectively.

Housing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has  (a) to increase the number and  (b) to modernise the housing for service personnel in Hampshire in each of the next three years.

Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the form requested and will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Housing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what types of housing are provided for  (a) married and  (b) single persons for each armed service in Hampshire; how many units are not deferred rent; what the level of fitness for purpose is of the housing provided; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information requested will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member soon and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Housing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of providing the appropriate amount and quality of housing units for service personnel in Hampshire.

Derek Twigg: The information is not currently available in the form requested, but will be extracted from existing data as quickly as possible. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals were  (a) detained and  (b) arrested in the UK armed forces' recent raid on the Iraqi police premises in Basra; how those detained and arrested have been dealt with so far; what plans there are for dealing with those individuals; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The raid on the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) Headquarters at the Jameat Police Station, Basra, on 25 December 2006 was one of a number of operations aimed at disbanding the SCU in order to remove the most corrupt members of the Iraqi Police Service from Basra. No individuals were detained and none were arrested during this particular raid. However on two separate operations a total of eight individuals were detained, six have subsequently been released and two interned at the UK Divisional Temporary Detention Centre. Both were the subject of warrants issued by an Iraqi Judge for their arrest. Evidence will be collated on the individuals so that their cases can be transferred to the Central Criminal Court of Iraq for prosecution.

Nuclear Liabilities

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department's nuclear liabilities have been quantified; and how they are funded.

Des Browne: The Department's nuclear liabilities are set out in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts, the most recent version being those for 2005-06 (HC1394) published on 14 July 2006; a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The estimate of the MOD's nuclear liabilities (page 220) is £9,753,827,000.
	Provision for nuclear liabilities is made within the defence budget through the estimates process.

Official Engagements

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 101W, on official engagements, what factors he took into account when deciding not to attend  (a) the Defence Council Reception and  (b) the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme Reception on 22 November 2006.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 16 January 2007
	My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary had arranged to host a Defence Council reception for Commonwealth Defence Attachés on 22 November 2006 and accepted an invitation from the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme to attend a reception that evening before it had been agreed to hold the Debate on the Address concerning defence and foreign affairs on that date. The Defence Secretary closed the debate on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.
	The timing of the debate required other meetings to be re-arranged. The Defence Secretary took the view that it was better for him to be represented by other MOD Ministers at both events than to ask the organisers to delay proceedings and thereby inconvenience those attending.

Royal Auxiliary Air Force

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force was in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The data showing the inflow and outflow of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) in each year since 2000 are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			   Intake  Outflow 
			 2000 670 580 
			 2001 300 390 
			 2002 260 400 
			 2003 320 320 
			 2004 450 450 
			 2005 340 460 
			 2006 to October 190 180 
			  Notes 1. Data have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias. 2. The inflow and outflow data have been sourced directly from RAuxAF Squadrons. Data prior to 2000 are not available. Data for the calendar year 2006 are incomplete as they record inflow and outflow up to October 2006.

Royal Naval Reserve

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow of the Royal Naval Reserve was in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The following table provides inflow and outflow figures for Royal Naval Reservists for each complete financial year from 1997.
	
		
			  Number 
			   Inflow  Outflow 
			 1997-98 590 400 
			 1998-99 440 320 
			 1999-2000 600 470 
			 2000-01 560 590 
			 2001-02 680 560 
			 2002-03 540 570 
			 2003-04 280 540 
			 2004-05 200 530 
			 2005-06 270 430

Senior Officers: Transport

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regulations cover the personal use of  (a) land,  (b) sea and  (c) air transport by senior officers.

Adam Ingram: The regulations covering the use of land, sea and air transport by senior officers are the same as for all other ranks, and are contained within internal Ministry of Defence Joint Service Publications (JSPs), JSP800 Volume 2 Passenger Travel Instruction, and JSP341 Defence Road Transport Regulations.
	I will arrange for a copy of these to be placed in the Library of the House.

Statistics

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last five years the publication date of statistics produced by his Department has been changed; what the  (a) subject of the statistics,  (b) (i) original and (ii) final date of publication and  (c) reason for the delay was in each case; and who took the decision to delay the publication in each case.

Derek Twigg: In accordance with the National Statistics Code of Practice (2002), the Head of Profession for Statistics in the Ministry of Defence has sole responsibility for determining, pre-announcing and, if necessary, altering the dates of publication of 'National Statistics' produced by the Department.
	Any decision to change a pre-announced publication date will be based on a range of professional considerations such as the completeness of the underlying data, their fitness for purpose, the need for consistency and coherence, the need to promote widespread access and informed debate, or any earlier accidental or wrongful release. In reaching their decision, the Head of Profession will also take into consideration the detailed procedural guidance given in the 'National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices'. The Code and its 12 supporting Protocols are available in the Library of the House, and can also be accessed using the following address:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/national_statistics/cop/default.asp
	This Department has no historical record of the occasions on which the Head of Profession changed a pre-announced publication date in the last five years.

Submarines

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential vulnerability of submarines at sea to detection by future space-based technology.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 January 2007
	Careful assessment has concluded that it is unlikely over the life of the next generation of submarines there will be any radical technological breakthrough that might diminish materially the current advantages of the submarine over anti-submarine systems. Provided we continue to invest in suitable research and development on effective counter-measures, we believe the risks to the submarines operating under the surface on patrol will remain manageable.

Televisions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel in single living accommodation have  (a) a television set and  (b) access to Sky TV in their rooms; how many sets have been purchased for the use of service personnel in each year since 1997; and what the cost has been in each of the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Televisions in communal areas of bases are free provided by non-public funds. Details of the number and cost of these televisions is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Television sets in private and service accommodation are licensed and provided by the individual (except in substitute single service accommodation).
	New single living accommodation facilities are wired for satellite television. The actual number of personnel who have their own televisions or Sky television in their rooms is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Territorial Army

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) inflow and  (b) outflow of the Territorial Army was in each year since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The following table shows the intake and outflow of TA personnel during the period 1 October 2003 to 31 October 2006. October 2003 is the earliest date for which reliable TA inflow and outflow data are available.
	
		
			  Inflow and outflow of the Territorial Army by calendar year( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			  Calendar year  Inflow( 5)  Outflow( 6) 
			 2003 (1 October to 31 December) 3,360 2,370 
			 2004 7,690 9,410 
			 2005 8,650 8,240 
			 2006 (up to 31 October) 6,800 8,670 
			 (1) The data exclude full-time reserve service (FTRS), non-regular permanent staff (NRPS) and mobilised TA but includes the officer training corps (OTC). (2) The data are based on flows during the period 1 October 2003 to 31 December 2003, calendar years 2004 and 2005, and 2006 to 31 October. (3) The data have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. (4) Figures are for both officers and soldiers. (5) Inflow figures include all inflow e.g. intake from civil life and intake from other parts of the armed forces, but does not include the inflow of personnel returning from mobilisation. (6) Outflow figures exclude those personnel who became mobilised.

Territorial Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what changes in the Territorial Army (TA) structure in Scotland are planned as a result of TA rebalancing; which  (a) headquarters and  (b) centres (i) have been and (ii) are planned to be closed; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the Territorial Army's (TA) current strength is in Scotland, broken down by  (a) regiment,  (b) battalion,  (c) company and  (d) squadron; what the recruitment targets are; what changes are envisaged as a result of the TA rebalancing exercise; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Under Territorial Army rebalancing, there are a number of changes to the Territorial Army structure in Scotland which involves the relocation of units between Territorial Army Centres (TAC), changes in manpower liability and changes in trades of some Territorial Army soldiers and officers; the key elements of which are shown in the following list:
	 Sub Unit/Detachment Disbandment.
	 Sub Units and Detachments to be disbanded  under TA Rebalancing :
	HQ Battery, 105 Regiment Royal Artillery (V) based in Edinburgh.
	Elgin Detachment of 51 Signal Squadron (V), 32 Signal Regiment (V).
	Stirling Detachment of 61 Signal Squadron (V), 32 Signal Regiment (V).
	Cumbernauld Detachment of D Company, 51 Highland Regiment (7 SCOTS).
	 Formations on New Units.
	 The following new Sub Units/Detachments will form under TA Rebalancin g:
	Motherwell Detachment of A Squadron, Queen's Own Yeomanry Regiment.
	124 Field Squadron of 71 Engineer Regiment (V) in Cumbernauld.
	236 Field Squadron of 71 Engineer Regiment (V) (location still TBC, currently based in Elgin).
	Kirkcaldy Detachment of A Company, 7 SCOTS.
	 Other Changes :
	Platoon from A Company, 7 SCOTS change role to become the Forfar Detachment of C Squadron, Queen's Own Yeomanry Regiment.
	Platoon from C Company, 7 SCOTS change role to become a Troop within 71 Engineer Regiment (V) continuing to be based in Kirkwall.
	125 Rations Squadron based in Glasgow moves from the Scottish Transport Regiment RLC (RHQ based in Dunfermline) to become a Sub Unit with a newly forming Supply Regiment (159 Supply Regiment based in Stoke). 125 Rations Squadron will continue to be based in Glasgow.
	51 Highland Regiment renames to 7 SCOTS and 52 Lowland Regiment renames to 6 SCOTS.
	As a result of Territorial Army rebalancing, the Territorial Army presence in Scotland sees an overall net increase in manpower liability of 83 (from 3,563 to 3,648 officers and soldiers); an ongoing process which is due to be complete by 2010. There are no current plans to close any Territorial Army headquarters or centres under rebalancing, however, their use may change as the role of units utilising these sites change throughout the rebalancing process.
	Details of the current strength of the Territorial Army in Scotland (as at 11 January 2007) are shown in the following table(1):
	(1) These figures are Single Service source figures used for internal planning purposes only—Official DASA (A) strength figures for the TA are collated for the UK and not its constituent nations, counties or towns and are therefore not available.
	
		
			  Regiment/battalion  Company/squadron  Current strength (all ranks) 
			 HQ 51 Brigade — 70 
			 Queen's Own Yeomanry A Squadron 55 
			 Queen's Own Yeomanry C Squadron 54 
			 105 Regiment Royal Artillery 207 Battery 129 
			 105 Regiment Royal Artillery 212 Battery 91 
			 71 Engineer Regiment Regimental HQ & HQ Squadron 93 
			 71 Engineer Regiment 102 Squadron 97 
			 32 Signal Regiment Regimental HQ & HQ Squadron 85 
			 32 Signal Regiment 2 Signal Squadron 69 
			 32 Signal Regiment 51 Signal Squadron 70 
			 32 Signal Regiment 52 Signal Squadron 71 
			 32 Signal Regiment 61 Signal Squadron 91 
			 6 SCOTS Regimental HQ & HQ Company 73 
			 6 SCOTS A Company 79 
			 6 SCOTS B Company 68 
			 6 SCOTS C Company 81 
			 6 SCOTS D Company 43 
			 7 SCOTS Regimental HQ & HQ Company 62 
			 7 SCOTS A Company 135 
			 7 SCOTS B Company 81 
			 7 SCOTS C Company 74 
			 7 SCOTS D Company 79 
			 7 SCOTS E Company 44 
			 4 Parachute Regiment 15 Company 95 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment Regimental HQ & HQ Squadron 60 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 221 Squadron 105 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 230 Squadron 85 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 231 Squadron 149 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 251 Squadron 87 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 125 Squadron 84 
			 205 Field Hospital — 397 
			 225 Field Ambulance — 42 
			 5 Royal Military Police 243 Provost Company 45 
			 2 Signal Squadron — 69 
			 3 Flight Army Air Corp — 14 
			 206 Field Hospital 144 Parachute Squadron 12 
			 23 Military Intelligence Company — 55 
			 101 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 153 Workshop Company 64 
			 Total strength  3,157 
		
	
	Recruiting targets for Territorial Army units in Scotland for 2006-07 are detailed as follows:
	
		
			  Unit  Soldier recruiting target  Officer recruiting target 
			 A Squadron Queens Own Yeomanry 14 1 
			 C Squadron Queens Own Yeomanry 14 1 
			 105 Regiment Royal Artillery 21 4 
			 71 Engineer Regiment (V) 78 4 
			 32 Signal Regiment 62 7 
			 2 Signal Squadron 30 2 
			 6 SCOTS 65 7 
			 7 SCOTS 83 3 
			 15 Company 4 Parachute Regiment 19 0 
			 3 Flight Army Air Corps 0 3 
			 Scottish Transport Regiment 76 0 
			 125 Squadron 26 30 
			 205 Field Hospital (V) 9 23 
			 144 Parachute Squadron 206 Field Hospital (V) 10 9 
			 225 GS Medical Regiment 77 1 
			 153 Workshop Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 18 1 
			 243 Provost Company 5 Royal Military Police 12 2 
			 23 Military Intelligence Company 2 0 
			 Mil Band 6 SCOTS 3 0 
			 Mil Band 7 SCOTS 3 0 
			 Others Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 0 0 
			 Others Adjutant General Corps (SPS) 0 0 
			 205 Field Hospital 23 9 
			 Total 645 107

Type 45 Destroyers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the effect on operational capability of the reduction in the order for the new Type 45 destroyer from eight to six.

Adam Ingram: No decision has been taken to reduce the number of Type 45 destroyers to be ordered. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 364W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

UK Troops: Rest Periods

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the target period of rest is between operational tours for UK troops.

Adam Ingram: The armed forces recognise that a degree of separation from home and family is an accepted part of service life and take this into account when calculating harmony, a manpower planning tool used to define force structures. The services report against two guidelines: an individual harmony guideline which stipulates the maximum length of separated service that an individual should serve within any given period, and defined tour intervals to determine the frequency with which formed units (an infantry battalion, for example) should deploy on operations. Both measures are important because, at times, personnel deploy with units other than their own to fill gaps. Due to different operating patterns, guidelines for the three services vary.
	Army harmony guidelines are that individuals should not exceed 415 days of separated service in any period of 30 months. At unit level, tour intervals should be no less than 24 months. Royal Navy harmony guidelines are that no individual should exceed 660 days of separated service in a three year rolling period. Over a similar time span, ships or other units should not be deployed for more than 60 per cent. of their time. Royal Air Force harmony guidelines are that no more than 2.5 per cent. of individual personnel should serve more than 140 days of detached duty in any period of 12 months, while unit tour intervals should not be less than 16 months.

Works of Art

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many works of art were stolen from his Department in each of the last 10 years; what value of art was stolen; and what measures were taken to recover it.

Derek Twigg: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of works of art stolen  Value of works of art stolen (£) 
			 2007 0 0 
			 2006 1 1.00 
			 2005 1 7.00 
			 2004 2 8,600.00 
			 2003 3 250.00 
			 2002 3 2,240.00 
			 2001 2 770.00 
			 2000 2 720.00 
			 1999 4 5,840.00 
			 1998 8 8,258.50 
			 1997 3 125.00 
			 Total 29 26,811.50 
		
	
	All losses were investigated, but no works of art were recovered or individuals prosecuted for their theft.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Central Office of Information: Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the projected expenditure of the Central Office of Information spending on public relations, marketing and advertising is in 2006-07.

Patrick McFadden: COI's projected expenditure, by service, for 2006-07 is:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Advertising: media spend 149.0 
			 Non-media (production costs, etc) 13.0 
			 Direct and relationship marketing 24.1 
			 Events 8.5 
			 Broadcast 10.0 
			 Publications 34.5 
			 Digital media 13.7 
			 Research 15.5 
			 Public relations and sponsorship 24.5 
			 Strategic consultancy 8.4 
			 Government news network 7.8 
			 Total 309.0 
		
	
	The total amount shown in the table is an estimated reduction of 4 per cent. on 2005-06.

Information Technology

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on information technology by those parts of the public sector represented on the Chief Information Officer Council as referred to on page 23 of the Chief Information Officer's Transformational Government Annual Report 2006 in each financial year since 1997-98, broken down by agency and department.

Patrick McFadden: This information is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
	The figures for 2005-06 are set out in the Transformational Government Annual Report 2006 (Cm 6970), a copy of which is available in the Library for members. This is the first time this information has been collated in this way and we expect to build on this information in the future.

National School of Government

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the individual training courses that  (a) have been and  (b) are provided to Ministers by the National School of Government.

Patrick McFadden: This is a matter for the National School of Government. The National School's principal and chief executive will write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library for the reference of Members.

Pensions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the average Exchequer contribution towards a civil service final salary pension is, as a percentage of pensionable salary.

Patrick McFadden: Employer contribution rates for members of the principal civil service pension scheme (PSCPS) are assessed for each of four ranges of pay levels and are set at a level, which together with employee contributions, is intended to meet the costs of benefits accruing in the year. This approach is set out in Resource Accounts 2005-06 of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation, a copy of which is available in the Library for the reference of Members. The current employer contribution rates expressed as a percentage of pensionable pay are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Rate of employer contribution as a percentage of pensionable pay 
			  Salary band  Percentage 
			 £18,500 and under 17.1 
			 £18,501 to £38,000 19.5 
			 £38,001 to 65,000 23.2 
			 £65,001 and over 25.5 
		
	
	The average employer contribution is estimated at 19.4 per cent. of pensionable pay. A higher rate, of 26.5 per cent. of pensionable pay, is payable by the Prison Service for prison officers employed before September 1987 and who are entitled to enhanced benefits.

Policy Review Working Groups

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how delegates will be selected for the deliberative forums announced on 2 January 2007 as part of the policy review working Groups.

Patrick McFadden: Ipsos MORI have been engaged to recruit the participants in the deliberative forums being organised as part of the public engagement strand of the policy review. They will be recruited according to Market Research Society guidelines with the aim of achieving a representative sample of the general population.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

"DFES Children's Services, The Childcare Market""

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what response he has made to the PricewaterhouseCoopers report 'DFES Children's Services, The Childcare Market' commissioned by his Department.

Beverley Hughes: The PricewaterhouseCoopers report "DfES Children's Services, The Childcare Market" was one of a series of five publications published in August 2006 covering four markets and an overview report.
	My Department has made no formal response to this report, but has taken on board many of the findings from the five reports within our policy thinking and methodology, for example, in the Care Matters Green Paper that is currently going through its formal consultation period.

Value Added

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what qualifications are taken into account when calculating the contextual value added score.

Jim Knight: All Entry Level, level 1 and level 2 qualifications approved for use pre-16 under section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 are taken into account when calculating contextual value added.

CAFCASS Training

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what training is provided to Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much was spent on training for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers in each year since 2000.

Parmjit Dhanda: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the Chief Executive, has written to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated 9 January 2007:
	I am writing to you in response to the two parliamentary questions that you tabled recently:
	 PQ 113752—What training is provided to Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers?
	Family Court Advisers are required to have a Diploma in Social Work (or a General Social Care Council (GSCC) recognised equivalent) and 3 years post qualifying experience in social work with children and families at risk.
	CAFCASS provides the following training to Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers:
	1. A whole range of in-service and external training provided in accordance with staff training needs which are identified through a training needs analysis for each member of staff.
	2. A three-part domestic violence-training programme.
	3. A five-day foundation course for new Family Court Advisors
	4. An Annual Research Conference.
	5. An Annual Diversity Conference.
	6. Post Qualification Training for Family Court Advisors and managers as provided in the General Social Care Councils revised Post Qualification Framework.
	7. Further and higher education training for which they are sponsored. ( this is job related)
	8. Legal Road shows.
	9. Training in new legislation e.g. The Adoption and Children Act, 2002 and The Children and Adoption Act, 2006.
	 PQ 113753—How much was spent on training for Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service officers in each year since 2000?
	The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) was established in April 2001. Total training costs for the years 2001-06 were as follows:
	
		
			  Year  Total training cost (£000) 
			 Estimate for 2006/07 963 
			 2005/06 646 
			 2004/05 1,131 
			 2003/04 665 
			 2002/03 533 
			 2001/02 395

Children's Centre

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  which organisations are responsible for maintaining each children's centre in England;
	(2)  how many children's centres in England are managed by  (a) public sector organisations,  (b) voluntary sector providers,  (c) independent providers and  (d) other providers.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities working with their partners in children's trusts are responsible for the overall delivery of the Sure Start children's centres programme in England. They are responsible for planning, securing value for money and ensuring overall quality in children's centres. We are encouraging them to involve private, voluntary and independent organisations both in managing children's centres and as service providers. Information on how many children's centres are managed by public sector organisations, voluntary sector, independent and other providers is not collected centrally. A survey of early children's centres shows around 58 per cent. of child care provision in children's centres is provided by the private, voluntary and independent sector, and around 82 per cent. of children's centres have contracts with voluntary sector organisations for delivering services. Responsibility for children's centres in Wales lies with the Welsh Assembly.

Competition Managers

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 1006W, on competition managers, how many  (a) competitions and  (b) teams have been identified by competition managers in the last 12 months, broken down by type of sport.

Jim Knight: For the period of September to November 2006, competition managers have delivered 810 competitions involving 42,510 young people, broken down by sport/activity as follows:
	
		
			  Sport/activity  Young people involved 
			 Badminton 1,364 
			 Basketball 1,646 
			 Cricket 785 
			 Football 11,891 
			 Golf 181 
			 Gymnastics 529 
			 Hockey 1,563 
			 Multi Skill 3,069 
			 Netball 10,129 
			 Orienteering 246 
			 Rugby League 557 
			 Rugby Union 7,866 
			 Squash 105 
			 Swimming 800 
			 Table Tennis 787 
			 Tennis 254 
			 Volleyball 278

Drug Education

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many primary schools teach the Drug Abuse Resistance Education programme; what guidance is given to schools on the age of pupils to whom this programme is taught; and what the requirement is for parental consent before the programme is used.

Jim Knight: The Department's guidance, "Drugs: Guidance for Schools" (DfES 2004) makes it clear that teachers should be the main providers of drug education and maintain responsibility for the overall drug education programme in their school. External contributors can be used where they add to the drug education programme a dimension that the teacher alone cannot deliver. It is for schools and local authorities to decide whether to use the services of an external contributor to assist with their drug education programme, and if so which. The Department does not collect information on the external contributors used.
	The guidance also requires individual schools to work closely with pupils' parents and carers in the development of their drug education programme, thereby ensuring that it is relevant and sensitive to the needs and diversity of its pupils.

Education Supervision Orders

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many education supervision orders were put in place for children with special educational need in  (a) Chorley and  (b) Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect data relating to education supervision orders.

Education: North-east England

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the teacher to pupil ratio was in infant school classes in  (a) Jarrow constituency and  (b) South Tyneside in each year since 1997; and what the national average was in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Information on pupil:teacher ratios is available for overall school types but not for individual age groups or year groups.
	The available information relating to maintained primary schools is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : pupil:teacher ratios—position in January each year: 1997 to 2006 
			   Pupil:teacher ratios( 2) 
			   Jarrow parliamentary constituency  South Tyneside local authority area  England 
			 1997 23.1 23.4 23.4 
			 1998 22.9 23.1 23.7 
			 1999 22.3 22.5 23.5 
			 2000 22.1 22.2 23.3 
			 2001 21.3 21.3 22.9 
			 2002 21.5 21.2 22.5 
			 2003 21.3 21.0 22.6 
			 2004 21.2 20.9 22.7 
			 2005 21.7 21.3 22.5 
			 2006 21.6 20.9 22.0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Based on full-time and full-time equivalent of part-time qualified teachers.  Source: Schools Census

Education: North-east England

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class size for  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools was in (i) Jarrow constituency and (ii) South Tyneside in each year since 1997; and what the national average was in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : average class size( 2 ) 1997-2006—position in January each year 
			   Jarrow parliamentary constituency  South Tyneside local authority area  England 
			   Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary  Primary  Secondary 
			 1997 26.4 22.7 27.0 22.7 27.5 21.7 
			 1998 26.2 22.0 26.9 22.5 27.7 21.7 
			 1999 25.9 22.4 26.2 22.8 27.5 21.9 
			 2000 25.4 22.1 25.8 22.7 27.1 22.0 
			 2001 25.5 21.7 25.8 22.4 26.7 22.0 
			 2002 25.0 21.8 25.2 22.0 26.3 21.9 
			 2003 25.0 21.4 24.9 21.8 26.3 21.9 
			 2004 25.0 22.0 25.2 21.9 26.2 21.8 
			 2005 25.2 21.8 25.3 22.0 26.2 21.7 
			 2006 25.8 21.1 25.4 21.1 26.3 21.5 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Classes taught by one teacher during a single selected period on the census day in January.  Source: Schools Census

Educational Psychologists

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been included in each local authority's proposed rate support grant to pay for the training of educational psychologists.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 January 2006
	The Revenue Support Grant (RSG) for local authorities, as distributed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, is an un-hypothecated block grant. It is therefore not possible to identify amounts within the RSG provided for a particular purpose.
	Funding for the training of educational psychologists has previously drawn on a top slice of the RSG. For the 2007-08 RSG settlement, £2.088 million of the top slice will now be distributed to local authorities through the formula grant system.

GCSEs

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of candidates achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and mathematics in each  (a) selective,  (b) partially selective and  (c) comprehensive local education authority in 2006, broken down (i) into (A) pupils receiving and (B) pupils not receiving free school meals and (ii) by ethnic origin of pupils.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 January 2007
	A table showing 2006 GCSE results for each local authority, broken down by pupils in receipt of free schools meals and ethnic origin, is due to be added within the next month to the Statistical First Release 46/2006: National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics in England 2005/06 (Provisional). The figures requested can be provided when this table is published.

GCSEs

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the schools, including independent schools, where 0 per cent. of pupils are recorded as having achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalent at A*-C including English and mathematics in 2006.

Jim Knight: The mainstream schools published in the 2006 Achievement and Attainment Tables with 0 per cent. of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieving five or more A*-C including English and maths are as follows:
	
		
			  School  Local authority 
			 City of London School for Girls City of London 
			 Bellerbys College Greenwich 
			 Right Choice Project Greenwich 
			 Beis Rochel d'Satmar Girls' School Hackney 
			 Yesodey Hatorah School Hackney 
			 The Godolphin and Latymer School Hammersmith and Fulham 
			 Ravenscourt Theatre School Hammersmith and Fulham 
			 St. James Independent School for Senior Girls Hammersmith and Fulham 
			 Institute Espanol Vicente Canada Blanch Kensington and Chelsea 
			 The Walmer Road School Kensington and Chelsea 
			 Five Bridges Lambeth 
			 Cavendish School at Lady Gomm House Southwark 
			 Dulwich College Southwark 
			 London Islamic School Tower Hamlets 
			 International Community School Westminster 
			 The School of the Islamic Republic of Iran Brent 
			 Cambridge Tutors College Croydon 
			 MRCS Educational Unit Croydon 
			 Greek Secondary School of London Haringey 
			 Harrow School Harrow 
			 North London Collegiate School Harrow 
			 TCS Tutorial College Harrow 
			 The Lady Eleanor Holies School Richmond 
			 St. James Independent School for Boys Richmond 
			 Al-Burhan Grammar School Birmingham 
			 The Collegiate Centre for Values Birmingham 
			 Jamia Islamia Birmingham Birmingham 
			 King Edward VI High School for Girls Birmingham 
			 Stephenson House School Dudley 
			 Chestnut Tree School Sefton 
			 Highfield School Wirral 
			 The Manchester Grammar School Manchester 
			 The Together Trust Stockport 
			 Christ The King School Trafford 
			 Grasmere School Barnsley 
			 Jamia Al Hudaa Sheffield 
			 CJ's Training Base Bradford 
			 Broadwood High School Calderdale 
			 Islamia Girls' High School Kirklees 
			 Leeds Grammar School Leeds 
			 Parkside House School North Tyneside 
			 Queen Elizabeth's Hospital Bristol, City of 
			 Continuum School Kingston Upon Hull 
			 The Collegiate Foundation North Yorkshire 
			 Bramingham Park Study Centre Luton 
			 Haydon Independent School Buckinghamshire 
			 Friar Gate House School Derby 
			 Step Forward Educational Trust (Derby) Derby 
			 International College, Sherborne School Dorset 
			 Cornerstones School East Sussex 
			 Brockwood Park School Hampshire 
			 Winchester College Hampshire 
			 Portsmouth High School Portsmouth 
			 Brooke House College Leicestershire 
			 Dixie Grammar School Leicestershire 
			 Lewis Charlton School Leicestershire 
			 Loughborough High School Leicestershire 
			 Uppingham School Rutland 
			 Chase Academy International Study Centre Staffordshire 
			 The Manor House School Staffordshire 
			 Aidenswood Stoke-on-Trent 
			 Cotswold Community Wiltshire 
			 Dauntsey's School Wiltshire 
			 Tumblewood Community School Wiltshire 
			 Wellington College Bracknell Forest 
			 Padworth College West Berkshire 
			 SWAAY School Reading 
			 Bellerbys College Cambridge Cambridgeshire 
			 The Bridge School Cambridgeshire 
			 Cambridge Arts and Sciences 6th Form College Cambridgeshire 
			 St. Andrew's Cambridgeshire 
			 Station Education Centre Cambridgeshire 
			 Building Young People's Potential Cheshire 
			 Cornerstones Warrington 
			 Buckeridge International College Devon 
			 Emmanuel School Exeter Devon 
			 Bishops Park College Essex 
			 Donyland Lodge Essex 
			 Jacques Hall Foundation Essex 
			 The Yellow House School Essex 
			 Hereford Waldorf School Herefordshire 
			 Larches School Herefordshire 
			 Queenswood School Herefordshire 
			 Abbey College Worcestershire 
			 Saint Michael's College Worcestershire 
			 Farrow House School Kent 
			 Integrated Services Programme Kent 
			 Oakwood School Kent 
			 The Old School Kent 
			 King's School, Rochester Medway 
			 Clifton Tutorial Centre Lancashire 
			 Moorlands View School Lancashire 
			 Pontville Residential School Lancashire 
			 Red Rose School Lancashire 
			 Windsmoor House School Blackburn 
			 Freyburg School (Sedgemoor) Nottinghamshire 
			 Nottingham Islamia School Nottingham 
			 Highiea School Shropshire 
			 Learning for Life Education Centre Shropshire 
			 Rubicon Shropshire 
			 Young Options College Shropshire 
			 Castle Homes Upper Forge Telford and Wrekin 
			 Fellside School Cumbria 
			 Radical Education Cumbria 
			 Sedbergh School Cumbria 
			 Wycliffe College Gloucestershire 
			 The Princess Helena College Hertfordshire 
			 Avocet House Norfolk 
			 Breckland Park School Norfolk 
			 Norwich School Norfolk 
			 Farrow House School Northampton Northamptonshire 
			 Oundle School Northamptonshire 
			 Oxford High School GDST Oxfordshire 
			 New Horizon Centre School Somerset 
			 Wessex College Somerset 
			 Felixstowe International College Suffolk 
			 On Track Training Centre (Mildenhall) Suffolk 
			 Summerhill School Suffolk 
			 Apple Orchard Education Unit Surrey 
			 Caterham School Surrey 
			 Reigate Grammar School Surrey 
			 Yehudi Menuhin School Surrey 
			 Rugby School Warwickshire 
			 Education Centre, The West Sussex 
			 Gleniffer House Residential School West Sussex 
			 Hillcrest Slinfold West Sussex 
			 Rikkyo School-in-England West Sussex 
		
	
	Some independent schools are showing in the Achievement and Attainment Tables with 0 per cent. A*-C including English and maths because we do not count iGCSEs as they are not accredited by QCA or approved by the Secretary of State for school age use.
	There is an ongoing e-consultation on iGCSEs that runs until 23 February; it is too early to make any further statement until we have considered the consultation responses.

History

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many pupils sat GCSE history in 2006 in  (a) each region and  (b) each local education authority; and what percentage of all GCSE pupils in each area each figure represents;
	(2)  how many pupils achieved an A* to C grade in GCSE history in 2006 in each  (a) region and  (b) local education authority; and what percentage of all GCSE pupils in each area each figure represents.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 January 2007
	A table containing the requested information has been placed in the House Library.

History

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many pupils sat AS level history in 2006 in each  (a) region and  (b) local education authority; and what percentage of all AS level pupils in each area those figures represent;
	(2)  how many pupils sat A2 level history in 2006 in each  (a) region and  (b) local education authority; and what percentage of all A2 level pupils in each area each figure represents.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 January 2007
	The information requested has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

History

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many history graduates entered teacher training in order to qualify as secondary school history teachers in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the number of history graduates entering Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses in order to qualify as secondary school history teachers in England between 2000/01 and 2004/05.
	
		
			  Number of history graduates entering post graduate initial teacher training to qualify as secondary school history teachers 
			   History graduates entering teacher training to qualify as a secondary school history teacher 
			 1998/99 630 
			 1999/2000 630 
			 2000/01 660 
			 2001/02 700 
			 2002/03 650 
			 2003/04 530 
			 2004/05 510 
			  Notes: 1. Includes universities and other HE institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes. 2. Recruitment numbers shown are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for 2005/06 will be available in July 2007.  Source: TDA's Performance Profiles

Independent Living

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that more accommodation options are available to young people making the transition from local authority care to independent living.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Green Paper "Care Matters" was issued on 9 October 2006. This includes the Government's proposals for significantly improving the support provided to young people leaving care to enable them to make a positive transition to adulthood. These proposals will lead to young people being better prepared for care leaving and will encourage the development of a wider range of accommodation options for them.
	We intend to evaluate existing models of supported housing for care leavers and then share the results of this activity with leaving care and housing services so that local housing strategies take greater account of the specific needs of care leavers. As well as this, we will establish a capital investment fund to support the provision of dedicated accommodation for care leavers. The Green Paper also includes proposals to pilot allowing young people to remain with their foster cares up to the age of 21.

Key Stage Three

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the pass mark was for Level Five in Key Stage Three tests in  (a) mathematics,  (b) English and  (c) science in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the pass mark was for Level Four in Key Stage Three tests in  (a) English,  (b) mathematics and  (c) science in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what the pass mark was for Level Five in Key Stage Two tests in  (a) reading,  (b) writing,  (c) mathematics and  (d) science in each year since 1997;
	(4)  what the pass mark was for Level Four in Key Stage Two tests in  (a) reading,  (b) writing,  (c) mathematics and  (d) science in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: National Curriculum tests are not designed to be 'pass or fail' examinations. The marks required to achieve particular levels in key stage 2 and 3 tests in each year are published on the QCA's website at http://www.qca.org.uk/12305.html a copy of which has been placed in the House Library.

Languages: Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils in England have English as an additional language.

Jim Knight: holding answer 15 January 2007
	The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools( 1, 2, 3) : number and percentage of pupils by first language, as at January 2006 
			  England 
			   Pupils of compulsory school age and above 
			   Primary Schools( 1)  Secondary Schools( 1)  Special Schools( 2) 
			   Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils( 4)  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils( 4)  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils( 4) 
			 First language is known or believed to be other than English 419,600 12.5 314,950 9.5 8,040 9.5 
			 First language is known or believed to be English 2,927,160 87.4 2,979,220 90.1 76,490 90.3 
			 Unclassified (5) 2,300 0.1 12,390 0.4 190 0.2 
			 Total (6) 3,349,050 100.0 3,306,570 100.0 84,720 100.0 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes General Hospital Schools. (3) Excludes dually registered pupils. (4) The number of pupils by their first language expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils of compulsory school age and above. (5) Information was not sought or refused. Includes 11 pupils in secondary schools for whom data on first language was missing. (6) Pupils of compulsory school age and above  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.  Source:  Schools' Census

Languages: Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the prevalence of bilingual classes in maintained schools.

Jim Knight: holding answer 15 January 2007
	While no such estimate has been made, we are aware that a number of maintained schools use Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology to teach other curriculum subjects through the medium of a foreign language.

Languages: Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many lessons inspected by Ofsted, excluding lessons in foreign languages, were taught in a language other than English in each year since 1996.

Jim Knight: holding answer 15 January 2007
	This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 15 January 2007:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	You asked how many lessons inspected by Ofsted, excluding lessons in foreign languages, were taught in a language other than English in each year since 1996.
	It is not possible to answer this question because the language in which lessons are taught has not, at any time, been recorded by inspectors on an Evidence Form. Inspectors may well record in the text that a lesson is taught in another language, but it is not possible to retrieve this information from every inspection since 1996.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Languages: Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools fall within each percentage point in terms of the proportion of pupils attending the school who have English as an additional language.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number of schools in England by the percentage of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English( 2) , as at January 2006 
			   Number of schools 
			  Percentage  Primary  Secondary 
			 0.0 to 0.9 6,625 992 
			 1.0 to 1.9 2,380 609 
			 2.0 to 2.9 1,504 341 
			 3.0 to 3.9 962 189 
			 4.0 to 4.9 668 154 
			 5.0 to 5.9 511 99 
			 6.0 to 6.9 425 75 
			 7.0 to 7.9 306 73 
			 8.0 to 8.9 283 59 
			 9.0 to 9.9 211 44 
			 10.0 to 10.9 191 43 
			 11.0 to 11.9 180 28 
			 12.0 to 12.9 136 24 
			 13.0 to 13.9 133 23 
			 14.0 to 14.9 116 23 
			 15.0 to 15.9 94 29 
			 16.0 to 16.9 98 20 
			 17.0 to 17.9 85 20 
			 18.0 to 18.9 99 23 
			 19.0 to 19.9 77 18 
			 20.0 to 20.9 78 19 
			 21.0 to 21.9 82 17 
			 22.0 to 22.9 61 17 
			 23.0 to 23.9 53 15 
			 24.0 to 24.9 53 18 
			 25.0 to 25.9 59 9 
			 26.0 to 26.9 51 18 
			 27.0 to 27.9 47 10 
			 28.0 to 28.9 50 11 
			 29.0 to 29.9 44 9 
			 30.0 to 30.9 60 13 
			 31.0 to 31.9 49 8 
			 32.0 to 32.9 51 9 
			 33.0 to 33.9 33 9 
			 34.0 to 34.9 31 14 
			 35.0 to 35.9 34 6 
			 36.0 to 36.9 42 7 
			 37.0 to 37.9 48 8 
			 38.0 to 38.9 38 7 
			 39.0 to 39.9 40 7 
			 40.0 to 40.9 34 3 
			 41.0 to 41.9 28 8 
			 42.0 to 42.9 38 9 
			 43.0 to 43.9 33 9 
			 44.0 to 44.9 33 3 
			 45.0 to 45.9 35 9 
			 46.0 to 46.9 35 2 
			 47.0 to 47.9 34 11 
			 48.0 to 48.9 42 12 
			 49.0 to 49.9 24 6 
			 50.0 to 50.9 28 11 
			 51.0 to 51.9 27 6 
			 52.0 to 52.9 24 3 
			 53.0 to 53.9 22 11 
			 54.0 to 54.9 25 8 
			 55.0 to 55.9 33 5 
			 56.0 to 56.9 20 4 
			 57.0 to 57.9 34 6 
			 58.0 to 58.9 26 7 
			 59.0 to 59.9 32 5 
			 60.0 to 60.9 33 1 
			 61.0 to 61.9 28 3 
			 62.0 to 62.9 31 3 
			 63.0 to 63.9 28 4 
			 64.0 to 64.9 26 3 
			 65.0 to 65.9 27 8 
			 66.0 to 66.9 19 2 
			 67.0 to 67.9 23 2 
			 68.0 to 68.9 18 6 
			 69.0 to 69.9 19 8 
			 70.0 to 70.9 25 4 
			 71.0 to 71.9 25 8 
			 72.0 to 72.9 18 5 
			 73.0 to 73.9 15 3 
			 74.0 to 74.9 10 3 
			 75.0 to 75.9 17 0 
			 76.0 to 76.9 12 1 
			 77.0 to 77.9 19 1 
			 78.0 to 78.9 21 3 
			 79.0 to 79.9 18 2 
			 80.0 to 80.9 20 2 
			 81.0 to 81.9 11 1 
			 82.0 to 82.9 18 2 
			 83.0 to 83.9 22 2 
			 84.0 to 84.9 9 3 
			 85.0 to 85.9 14 3 
			 86.0 to 86.9 15 2 
			 87.0 to 87.9 17 2 
			 88.0 to 88.9 25 6 
			 89.0 to 89.9 22 3 
			 90.0 to 90.9 14 2 
			 91.0 to 91.9 22 2 
			 92.0 to 92.9 11 1 
			 93.0 to 93.9 13 2 
			 94.0 to 94.9 19 3 
			 95.0 to 95.9 21 1 
			 96.0 to 96.9 22 0 
			 97.0 to 97.9 27 3 
			 98.0 to 98.9 23 1 
			 99.0 to 99.9 16 1 
			 100 16 0 
			 Total 17,504 3,367 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Pupils of compulsory schools age and above are classified according to first language.  Source: Schools Census

Looked-after Children

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received on the current commissioning arrangements for looked after children; and what level of funding for looked after children came from  (a) local authorities,  (b) the voluntary and charitable sector and  (c) other sources in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) 1996-97.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 17 January 2007
	The consultation on the Care Matters Green Paper is ongoing and it is therefore too early to provide useful information about the representations received on this issue. Once the consultation period has ended a summary of responses will be published.
	Gross expenditure by local authorities on looked after children was: £1,932,732k in 2004-05 (the latest available year); £1,765,279k in 2003-04; and £1,567,589k in 2002-03. In 1996-97 the expenditure was £964,999k.
	The figures relate to expenditure by local authorities on local after children and reported on return EXP1. Local authorities use a number of sources of funding to pay for looked after children services including the Revenue Support Grant, Council tax, Uniform Business rates and charges. Information on the level of funding by voluntary and charitable sources or other independent sources is not collected centrally.

Online National Qualifications Records System

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice he has  (a) sought and  (b) received on an online national qualifications records system.

Jim Knight: It is not clear what is meant by an online national qualifications system.
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority advise me on qualifications systems and I have asked them to put a copy of their advice in the Library, relating to both the Qualification and Credits Framework and the National Database of Accredited Qualifications.

Online National Qualifications Records System

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of an online national qualifications records system.

Jim Knight: It is not clear what is meant by an online national qualifications records system.
	However, a national qualifications database already exists in the National Database of Accredited Qualifications, provided on line by the regulators for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and this provides information on the qualifications accredited and regulated by these bodies. It also provides certain qualifications data to other systems used by bodies such as the LSC and DfES.

Pupil Funding

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average funding per pupil for  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school pupils in (i) England and (ii) Somerset was in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The average funding per pupil for primary and secondary school pupils in England and Somerset from 1997-98 is contained within the following tables:
	
		
			  Funding per pupil, Somerset and England, 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			   Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EPS and LSC 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			   Somerset  England 
			   3 to 10 year olds  11 to 15 year olds  3 to 19 year olds  3 to 10 year olds  11 to 15 year olds  3 to 19 year olds 
			 1997-98 2,350 3,200 2,830 2,480 3,390 3,030 
			 1998-99 2,440 3,270 2,890 2,580 3,470 3,090 
			 1999-2000 2,620 3,390 3,030 2,750 3,610 3,230 
			 2000-01 2,830 3,650 3,260 2,990 3,900 3,480 
			 2001-02 2,980 3,800 3,390 3,160 4,110 3,650 
			 2002-03 3,040 3,890 3,470 3,250 4,210 3,760 
			 2003-04 3,190 3,980 3,580 3,450 4,280 3,880 
			 2004-05 3,290 4,150 3,710 3,550 4,450 4,020 
			 2005-06 3,460 4,300 3,870 3,770 4,640 4,230 
			  Notes: 1. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of standard spending assessment/education formula spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS. 2. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3-10 and 11-15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 3. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3 year old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4 year olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 4. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. 5. Real terms at 2005-06 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 27 September 2006. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. 
		
	
	The following figures are taken from the new Dedicated Schools Grant and are in cash terms. They are not comparable with those for the earlier years. The Somerset and England Dedicated Schools Grant per pupil funding figures are:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Somerset  England 
			  Baseline   
			 2005-06 3,153 3,410 
			 2006-07 3,365 3,643 
			
			  Dedicated Schools Grant   
			 2007-08 3,582 3,888 
			  Notes: 1. The total funding figures only run to 2005-06 because we cannot provide a consistent time series beyond that year as the introduction of the Dedicated School Grant (DSG) in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded. The 2004-05 and 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EPS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. In 2006-07 funding for schools changed with the introduction of the DSG which is based largely on an authority's previous spending. 2. Dedicated School Grant (DSG) has a different coverage to EFS: EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions whereas DSG only covers the schools block. LEA block items are still funded through Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG's) Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. This means that we have a break in our time series as the two sets of data are not comparable; an alternative time series is currently under development. 3. To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, we have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year. There are other grants that support the schools budget, these are not included in the provided DSG figures as some of these grant figures are not yet available. 4. These figures are in cash terms and include the pensions transfer.

Physical Education: Disabled

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage sporting activity among young disabled people in schools.

Jim Knight: The Government are committed to increasing opportunities in PE and school sport for all young people, whatever their abilities or needs. The programmes of study for national curriculum physical education (PE) have been written so that they can provide effective learning opportunities for all young people. Guidance in the PE curriculum document shows how teachers can: adapt the programmes of study to set suitable learning challenges for all young people; respond to their diverse learning needs; and overcome potential barriers to learning.
	As part of the National School Sport Strategy, all maintained schools in England, including special schools, are now part of the network of school sport partnerships. These are families of schools which work together to increase opportunities in PE and sport. Each partnership employs a partnership development manager who supports and manages the development of the partnership to ensure that all young people have access to a range of sporting activities which is appropriate for their own needs.
	As part of the professional development strand within the National School Sport Strategy, teachers can access, free of charge, a range of resources and training aimed at developing an inclusive approach to PE and school sport.

Pupil Exclusions

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools were excluded in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number of exclusions 2000/01 to 2004/05, England 
			   Maintained primary schools  Maintained secondary schools 
			   Permanent exclusions( 2)  Fixed period exclusions  Permanent exclusions( 2)  Fixed period exclusions 
			   Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3) 
			 2000/01(4) 1,440 0.03 7,310 0.23 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001/02 1,450 0.03 7,740 0.24 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2002/03 1,300 0.03 7,690 0.23 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2003/04 1,270 0.03 41,300 0.97 8,320 0.25 288,040 8.66 
			 2004/05 1,090 0.03 43,720 1.04 8,070 0.24 329,680 9.94 
			 n/a = not available, 2003/04 is the first full year for which fixed period exclusions data are available. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) The number of permanent exclusions are as confirmed by local authorities. The numbers shown here for permanent exclusions are as reported by schools. The data are unconfirmed and known to be incomplete. (3) The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils in special schools) in January each year. (4) Permanent exclusions for 2000/01 are estimated as a number of local authorities have not confirmed the data for their schools.  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Schools' Census and Termly Exclusions Survey

School Building

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of schools in East Sussex likely to be  (a) built and  (b) refurbished using the capital spending announced in the Chancellor's public spending statement.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of schools in Lancashire likely to be  (a) built and  (b) refurbished through the capital spending announced in the Chancellor's public spending statement.

Jim Knight: I have made no estimate of the number of schools in East Sussex and Lancashire likely to be (a) built and  (b) refurbished through the capital spending announced in the Chancellor's public spending statement. Decisions on building and refurbishing are taken by each local authority in the light of information available locally, including changes in pupil numbers and the condition of individual schools.

Special Educational Needs

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children with special educational needs have been educated at special schools in each year since 2003.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Special schools: Number and percentage of pupils with special educational needs (SEN), position as at January each year, 2003 to 2006, England 
			   Pupils with statements( 1) 
			Total pupils in maintained special schools( 2)  Total pupils in non-maintained special schools 
			   Total pupils in all schools( 3)  Number  Percentage( 4)  Number  Percentage 
			 2003 250,550 85,800 34.2 4,840 1.9 
			 2004 247,590 84,250 34.0 4,700 1.9 
			 2005 242,580 83,290 34.3 4,740 2.0 
			 2006 236,750 82,570 34.9 4,660 2.0 
		
	
	
		
			   Pupils with SEN without statements( 1) 
			Pupils in maintained special schools( 5)  Total pupils in non-maintained special schools 
			   Total pupils in all schools( 3)  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2003 1,169,780 1,890 0.2 40 0.0 
			 2004 1,197,490 1,800 0.1 30 0.0 
			 2005 1,230,800 1,750 0.1 40 0.0 
			 2006 1,293,248 1,690 0.1 60 0.4 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) Includes general hospital schools. (3) Includes pupils with statements in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, special schools, pupil referral units, independent schools, city technology colleges and academies. (4) The number of pupils with statements in special schools expressed as a proportion of the number of pupils with statements in all schools. (5) Excludes general hospital schools. Data for pupils with SEN without statements is not collected from these schools.  Note: Totals have been rounded to the nearest 10.

St. Peter's College, Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of recent changes in educational standards at St. Peter's College, Chelmsford.

Jim Knight: St. Peter's College in Chelmsford was made subject to special measures in September 2005. Its progress is therefore monitored by Ofsted on a termly basis. The College has had three such monitoring visits, the most recent in November 2006. On each visit it was judged that satisfactory progress was being made.

Sure Start

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what representations he has received relating to the National Audit Office's report on Sure Start Children's Centres;
	(2)  what response he has made to the National Audit Office's report on Sure Start Children's Centres.

Beverley Hughes: I have received no representations relating to the National Audit Office's report on Sure Start Children's Centres. I welcome the report's confirmation that children's centres are successfully improving services for families with young children and that families value children's centres services. We have already addressed the report's main recommendations through issuing revised practice, planning and performance management guidance for local authorities and centres. In addition "Together for Children", the consortium appointed to support local authorities during the children's centre roll-out, have produced a toolkit which features advice and case studies on reaching families at greatest risk of social exclusion. We continue to consider what further action is needed to address other issues raised in the report.

Teaching Staff: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) teachers,  (b) teaching assistants and  (c) support staff were employed in Coventry local education authority schools in each year since 1992.

Jim Knight: holding answer 17 January 2007
	The following table provides the number of full-time equivalent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff employed in local authority maintained schools in Coventry local authority, January 1992 to 2006.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent number of teachers, teaching assistants and support staff employed in maintained schools in Coventry local authority, January 1992 to 2006 
			  As at January each year:  Teachers( 1)  Teaching assistants( 2)  Support staff( 2, 3) 
			 1992 — 270 740 
			 1993 2,820 210 750 
			 1994 2,860 390 (4)790 
			 1995 2,780 390 (4)820 
			 1996 2,790 380 (4)940 
			 1997 2,800 390 990 
			 1998 2,780 440 1,040 
			 1999 2,810 440 1,070 
			 2000 2,800 670 1,170 
			 2001 2,870 820 1,350 
			 2002 2,920 690 1,560 
			 2003 2,910 640 1,610 
			 2004 2,920 740 1,630 
			 2005 2,910 770 1,760 
			 2006 2,980 770 1,960 
			 (1) DfES annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies (618 g). (2) Annual School Census. (3) Support staff figures include teaching assistants numbers. (4) Does not include data for pupil referral units.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Truancy: London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the rate of truancy in each London borough was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold data on pupils recorded as truant. However, the figures for the proportion of half days missed due to unauthorised absence (of which truancy forms a part) in maintained mainstream schools in London boroughs are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Half days missed in maintained mainstream primary schools( 1)  in London boroughs due to unauthorised absence 
			  Percentage 
			  Local authority  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1.52 1.37 1.34 1.27 1.22 
			 Barnet 0.64 0.56 0.65 0.74 0.54 
			 Bexley 0.36 0.35 0.33 0.44 0.54 
			 Brent 0.49 0.41 0.55 0.54 0.59 
			 Bromley 0.40 0.43 0.60 0.53 0.67 
			 Camden 1.10 0.77 0.56 0.57 0.60 
			 Croydon 0.55 0.69 0.73 0.63 0.66 
			 Ealing 0.25 0.22 0.27 0.26 0.32 
			 Enfield 1.11 1.11 0.81 0.75 0.71 
			 Greenwich 1.38 1.45 1.24 1.16 1.33 
			 Hackney 1.36 1.36 1.16 1.04 1.12 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0.61 0.76 0.70 0.62 0.75 
			 Haringey 1.62 1.39 1.13 1.21 1.08 
			 Harrow 0.32 0.21 0.17 0.14 0.17 
			 Havering 0.21 0.24 0.22 0.27 0.31 
			 Hillingdon 0.71 0.67 0.58 0.55 0.59 
			 Hounslow 1.03 1.19 1.16 1.08 1.10 
			 Islington 1.20 1.26 0.96 0.81 0.72 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0.89 0.59 0.40 0.35 0.46 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0.25 0.22 0.23 0.29 0.24 
			 Lambeth 1.07 1.07 0.97 1.01 0.99 
			 Lewisham 1.35 1.06 0.97 1.09 1.11 
			 London, City of 0.32 0.00 0.29 0.03 0.03 
			 Merton 0.38 0.35 0.33 0.39 0.27 
			 Newham 1.53 1.04 0.71 0.76 0.89 
			 Redbridge 0.76 0.77 0.77 0.80 0.93 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0.27 0.32 0.35 0.44 0.53 
			 Southwark 1.78 1.74 1.61 1.34 1.23 
			 Sutton 0.41 0.26 0.31 0.37 0.50 
			 Tower Hamlets 1.38 1.20 1.19 1.22 1.24 
			 Waltham Forest 0.53 0.54 0.68 0.53 0.64 
			 Wandsworth 0.56 0.58 0.57 0.57 0.62 
			 Westminster, City of 0.77 0.62 0.51 0.68 0.87 
		
	
	
		
			  Half days missed in maintained mainstream secondary schools( 1)  in London boroughs due to unauthorised absence 
			  Percentage 
			  Local authority  2001/02  2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 2.04 1.91 1.93 2.00 1.58 
			 Barnet 0.95 0.97 1.07 1.01 0.92 
			 Bexley 1.19 0.75 1.11 0.71 1.12 
			 Brent 0.73 0.86 0.56 1.05 0.78 
			 Bromley 1.10 1.09 1.00 1.13 1.16 
			 Camden 1.41 1.58 1.17 1.38 2.24 
			 Croydon 0.68 1.10 1.18 1.39 1.37 
			 Ealing 1.02 0.87 0.70 0.74 0.72 
			 Enfield 1.92 1.85 1.49 1.85 1.63 
			 Greenwich 2.49 2.37 2.82 2.69 2.85 
			 Hackney 2.57 2.07 1.86 1.88 1.23 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1.76 1.69 1.72 1.66 1.12 
			 Haringey 2.43 2.32 1.84 1.86 1.83 
			 Harrow 0.69 0.52 0.48 0.51 0.45 
			 Havering 0.60 0.56 0.61 0.64 0.83 
			 Hillingdon 1.49 1.63 1.43 1.58 1.71 
			 Hounslow 1.05 1.02 1.15 1.09 1.31 
			 Islington 1.65 1.51 1.41 1.72 1.69 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1.91 1.66 1.01 0.59 0.66 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0.57 0.51 0.33 0.61 0.58 
			 Lambeth 0.99 0.60 0.50 0.58 0.55 
			 Lewisham 2.68 2.38 2.49 1.91 1.83 
			 London, City of — — — — — 
			 Merton 1.20 1.34 1.34 1.62 1.01 
			 Newham 2.12 1.60 1.23 1.09 0.95 
			 Redbridge 0.73 0.69 0.94 0.93 0.91 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2.54 2.10 1.99 2.51 2.34 
			 Southwark 1.74 1.79 1.59 1.69 2.21 
			 Sutton 0.89 0.66 0.69 0.67 0.76 
			 Tower Hamlets 2.41 2.03 1.97 2.42 2.05 
			 Waltham Forest 1.72 1.37 1.57 1.74 1.36 
			 Wandsworth 1.34 1.09 0.82 1.11 1.22 
			 Westminster, City of 1.76 1.59 1.95 1.77 1.98 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. 
		
	
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Trust Schools

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have  (a) expressed an interest in,  (b) made an application for and  (c) been granted trust status.

Jim Knight: When expressions of interest were sought from schools to take part in the trust school pathfinder programme, over 60 were received from individual schools or groups of schools that were interested in acquiring trusts. From those expressions of interest, 47 schools were originally selected to become pathfinders, but the number of schools involved in the programme has since increased to 71.
	The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and the Youth Sport Trust, working on behalf of the Department, have invited further expressions of interest by 28 February from schools to take part in an early adopter programme and receive support in acquiring trusts. However, this is a school driven policy, and outside of the pathfinder and early adopter programmes schools do not have to "apply" to acquire a trust. It will be for the governing body of a school to decide whether or not it wishes to acquire trust status, which organisations will make up the school's trust, and to consult local stakeholders on its proposals.
	The provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 that relate to trust proposals have not yet been commenced. They are due to come into force in early summer 2007 alongside regulations—which are currently out for consultation—that will implement these provisions. Until that point, no school is able to acquire a trust under the provisions of the 2006 Act. We expect to see the first trust schools, as defined by the provisions of the 2006 Act, operating from the autumn term 2007.

Trust Schools

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisations have  (a) expressed an interest in becoming,  (b) made an application to become and  (c) been approved as trustees of a trust school.

Jim Knight: The Department has discussed trust schools with a wide range of organisations. We do not hold a comprehensive list of every organisation that has expressed an interest. In addition, as the acquisition of a trust is a decision for the governing body of a school, the Department cannot provide an exhaustive list of those organisations which have held discussions locally.
	The following organisations or companies have been publicly named as actively working towards setting up a trust with a school or group of schools as part of the pathfinder programme:
	City of Bristol College;
	Co-operative Group;
	Co-operative College;
	Dorset Scope;
	Essex University;
	Exeter University;
	Laing O'Rourke;
	Microsoft;
	Prospects College;
	Trinity and All Saints HE College;
	Unilever;
	University of West of England;
	University of Wolverhampton;
	Westminster University.
	We will release information about further organisations once they have agreed to be involved with pathfinders (except in cases where release might prejudice discussions with stakeholders in the project).
	Organisations do not have to "apply" to become trusts. Under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, in order for a school to acquire a trust, a governing body follows a statutory process which includes a public consultation, and the publication of proposals. The final decision to acquire the trust will be for the governing body, except in certain circumstances where the local authority will be able to refer a proposal to the Schools Adjudicator for decision. There is no role for the Secretary of State in this local decision-making process.
	The provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 that relate to trust proposals have not yet been commenced. They are due to come into force in early summer 2007 alongside regulations—which are currently out for consultation—that will implement these provisions. Until that point, no school is able to acquire a trust under the provisions of the 2006 Act.

Unauthorised Absences

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of children with  (a) statements and  (b) non-statemented special educational needs in mainstream (i) maintained schools and (ii) maintained special schools took unauthorised absence from school in each year between 1997 and 2006;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of pupils taking unauthorised absence from mainstream maintained schools between 1997 and 2006 had  (a) statemented and  (b) non-statemented special educational needs.

Jim Knight: The information required to answer the questions for 2006 is not yet available. The information required to answer the questions for previous years is unavailable.
	The Department started to collect pupil level absence data for the first time from secondary schools in January 2006. Detailed absence statistics for 2005-06 will be available in a Statistical First Release provisionally scheduled for publication in March 2007. An analysis of absence by Special Education Needs in secondary schools will be available once the Statistical First Release has been published.

Vandalism

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on repairing damage to schools caused by vandalism in each local education authority in each year from 2000 to 2006.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information on the costs of vandalism in schools. To collect it, we would need to ask every school in England to provide us with figures which is an unacceptable burden on schools.

Young Carers

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued relating to local authority support for young carers which requires input from children's services and from adult social services.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has not issued separate guidance which isolates this issue.
	Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need in their area, through the provision of services appropriate to the needs of such children, and as far as is consistent with this, to promote the upbringing of children within their families. Young carers will often be children in need.
	The assessment of a child's needs, and the capacity of their parents to respond appropriately to those needs within their family context, should follow the statutory guidance, "A Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families". The "Framework" provides, however, that with any child or family referral, children's social care should check whether a person with parenting responsibility has needs independent of their child's needs, which may call for the provision of adult community care services. If so, those needs should be further assessed in accordance with the Department of Health guidance, "Fair Access to Care Services".
	Correspondingly, with any adult referral, social services should check whether the person has parenting responsibility for a child under 18. If so, the initial assessment should explore any parenting and child related issues in accordance with the "Framework for Assessment".

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Committee on Standards in Public Life

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if he will make a statement on the outcome of the review of the Electoral Commission by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Peter Viggers: The Speaker's Committee supported the Committee on Standards in Public Life in undertaking this review of the role and governance of the Electoral Commission. It is grateful to Sir Alistair Graham and his colleagues for their thorough inquiry, and will give careful consideration to the recommendations set out in the Committee's report, a number of which are specifically addressed to the Speaker's Committee.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Carbon Emissions

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government projects the total carbon emissions of the UK will be for  (a) domestic consumption,  (b) (i) domestic and (ii) international aviation, (c) road transport and (d) power generation in (A) 2030 and (B) 2050.

Ian Pearson: The Department of Trade and Industry produced updated energy projections in July 2006. Projections for the residential and transport sectors are shown in the table. These projections are made on an end-user, rather than source basis, meaning emissions due to electricity are attributed to the user, rather than to the power generating sector.
	Projections for the power generation sector are not available at this time. Aviation projections are given in the final column of the table. The aviation data are consistent with the central case emission forecast in the January 2004 White Paper, Aviation and Global Warming. These data include emissions from both domestic and international aviation.
	
		
			  Projected sectoral CO 2  emissions from Updated Energy Projections number 26 (million tonnes of CO 2 )—aviation projections taken from 2004 White Paper, "Aviation and Global Warming" (central case emission forecast) 
			   2030  2050 
			 Residential sector (Mt CO2) 150.7 173.4 
			 UK transport sector (Mt CO2) 152.2 148.5 
			 Domestic and international aviation (Mt CO2) 65 64

Carbon Emissions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factor within the range of estimates for radiative forcing from aircraft carbon emissions the Government applies; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated in 1999 that the total climate change impact of aviation is between two and four times greater than that of its CO2 emissions alone. More recent research in 2000 by the European Commission's TRADEOFF project suggested that the total climate change impact of aviation up to 2000 was 1.9 times greater than its CO2 impact alone. This is known as the radiative forcing index. The non-CO2 effect is caused by some of the other emissions released by aircraft, including nitrous oxides, particulates and water vapour, and their specific effects at altitude.
	For the purposes of the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, DEFRA has decided to recognise the more recent TRADEOFF work and use a multiplier of two when calculating the climate impacts of aviation, to reflect the most recent and robust scientific evidence currently available. This decision will be kept under review as further scientific evidence becomes available. DEFRA's recommendations were developed in collaboration with DfT and have been adopted by other Government Departments through their participation in the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund.
	The multiplier is designed to attempt to capture the non-CO2 effects that aviation has on average and does not imply a precise radiative forcing relationship on a flight by flight basis.

Energy Services Directive

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made on the implementation of the Energy Services Directive.

Ian Pearson: Along with the cross-government team set up to implement the Energy Services Directive, DEFRA continues to make the progress necessary to meet the implementation deadline of 17 May 2008. The Department of Trade and Industry is currently consulting stakeholders on the billing and metering provisions of the Directive. DEFRA expects to consult stakeholders further on implementation plans later this year.

English Nature

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much English Nature spent on programme expenditure in Ashford local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: English Nature's finance systems did not permit the recording of expenditure by local authority area and therefore this information is not available.

Environment Agency

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Environment Agency spent on programme expenditure in Ashford local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency (EA) has been working as the lead organisation for the development of the Ashford Integrated Water Management Strategy. The primary purpose of the strategy is to co-ordinate the actions of each party through their existing funding and implementation processes and provide a focus for collaboration and innovation.
	The EA is currently managing projects to the value of £500,000 over two years, jointly funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). These projects address the priorities identified in the strategy such as the Sustainable Urban Drainage System and Integrated Catchment Management. Another project involves undertaking research into the use of bio-fuel coppice as a final treatment for sewage effluent.
	Other projects include the Ashford Water Festival, and "Savings on Tap" (a collaboration between Kent county council, Mid Kent Water and Hillread Homes to trial variable tariffs and water efficient fittings in new homes).
	The day-to-day operations of the EA's operational officers are co-ordinated through the Ashford Water Quality Programme. This programme covers the breadth of the EA's activities including Flood Risk Management, Fisheries and the assessment of compliance with permits and licences.
	However, to provide an indication of the level of expenditure by the EA an estimation of the cost of project related work in the year 2006-07, in addition to the DCLG funded work, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Activity  Estimated value (£) 
			 Flood Risk Management 140,000 
			 Water Resources 60,000 
			 Water Quality 7,200 
			 Environment Monitoring 3,000 
			 Fisheries 7,250 
			 Total 217,000 
		
	
	This total excludes the salary costs of officers undertaking routine activities.

Hazardous Waste

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the  (a) fire and  (b) environmental health services share common addresses for storage sites of hazardous waste.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA does not hold the specific information requested. However, the Environment Agency (EA) works closely with a range of professional partners, including the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), in relation to emergencies involving hazardous waste. This is on both a statutory and non-statutory basis.
	With regard to the EA's statutory obligations, various regulatory duties require close multi-agency working on emergency planning issues, for example, the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. The latter requires Category 1 Partners (which include the EA, local authorities and the emergency services) to share information on emergency planning and response. This liaison is primarily undertaken through Local Resilience Forums.
	As far as its non-statutory obligations are concerned, the EA shares intelligence with the FRS and working on joint planning such as the development of FRS Operational Response Plans, which accommodate environmental issues.

Recycling

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of tonnes of plastic waste exported to China for recycling in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: There is a control framework for the shipment of waste to and from the UK. However, where non-hazardous waste (such as separated recyclables) are exported, they are generally subject only to commercial controls, not to the prior notification and consent procedures which apply to exports of hazardous waste. Therefore, they are not notified to anyone. However, it is possible to estimate based on trade data which suggest that large quantities of plastic, paper and metal, from municipal and commercial sources, are being exported to countries such as China and India. We are unable to provide exact figures for individual countries.
	Estimates of waste plastics exported from the UK over each of the last five years are set out in the table as follows:
	
		
			   Exports (tonnes) 
			 2001 80,000 
			 2002 101,000 
			 2003 195,000 
			 2004 345,000 
			 2005 325,000 
			  Source:  UK trade statistics website and DEFRA

Smarter Metering

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions officials in his Department have had with  (a) officials in the Department for Trade and Industry and  (b) suppliers about the minimum level of functionality of smarter metering systems.

Ian Pearson: My officials are working closely with their Department of Trade and Industry counterparts in taking forward the measures in last year's Energy Review and the transposition of the EC Directive on Energy End Use Efficiency and Energy Services. These measures include meters that provide information on actual time of energy use. Ofgem, which is responsible for gas and electricity regulation, has established a Metering Inter-operability Steering Group to oversee the development of interoperability arrangements to promote and support the introduction of smart metering.

Timber

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on EU voluntary partnerships on the timber trade; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: No specific representations have been received recently on Voluntary Partnership Agreements under the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade licensing scheme for timber imports. Stakeholders continue to show a general interest in the Government's continued work, through bilateral and multi-lateral processes, to develop restrictions upon the import of illegally harvested timber.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Citizens: Convictions Abroad

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether consulates abroad record the  (a) offence and  (b) sentence of British prisoners convicted abroad.

Kim Howells: Consular staff record this information whenever they become aware, either through providing consular assistance or notification from the local authorities, that a British national has been convicted of, or sentenced for, a crime overseas.

British Citizens: Convictions Abroad

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether consulates abroad record the  (a) name,  (b) fingerprints,  (c) passport number and  (d) DNA of British criminals convicted abroad.

Kim Howells: Where they become aware, either through providing consular assistance or notification from the local authorities, that a British national has been convicted of a crime overseas, consular staff record their names and, whenever available, their passport details. They do not record their fingerprints or DNA. Consular staff have no legal powers to request this information. Nor are authorities locally under obligation to pass on this information.

British Citizens: Convictions Abroad

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedure her Department has in place for the transfer of the records of British criminals convicted abroad from consulates abroad to the London Consular Division.

Kim Howells: When posts overseas are informed of the arrest of a British national, details of the arrest are entered by consular staff on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office central consular assistance database: "Compass". Compass allows real time case management by staff overseas and in London, including details of convictions when known, so the separate transfer of records from consular staff overseas to the London Consular Division is not necessary.

EU Accounts

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how many years the accounts of the European Union have been denied authorisation by the official auditors; for what reasons the auditors have withheld their approval; and what steps are being taken by  (a) member states and  (b) EU bodies to resolve the problem.

Geoff Hoon: The European Court of Auditors report on the 2005 European Commission Budget is the 12(th )year in succession in which they have been unable to issue a positive Statement of Assurance. This is the result of errors found in the sample of transactions which the Court audits. The bulk of these errors represent such things as small overpayments to farmers and payments for expenditure which do not meet strict eligibility rules. The UK, as announced to the House by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, on 20 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 13-14WS, Denmark and the Netherlands are working to provide a better assurance of funds managed. The European Commission produced its Roadmap to an Integrated Internal Control Framework in July 2005, which the UK took forward under its Presidency of the EU, and have followed this up with their Action Plan towards an Integrated Internal Control Framework in January 2006.

EU Constitution

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her written answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 788W, on the EU Constitution, what terms of reference have been given to Mr. Kim Darroch and Ms Nicola Brewer in their role of liaising with the German EU Presidency in preparation for the political declaration and other possible ways to take the constitutional process forward.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 16 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 640-41.

Iraq

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK Government are taking to prevent the persecution of Mandaeans in Iraq.

Kim Howells: Violence in Iraq continues at appallingly high levels and we are concerned about its effects on all communities in Iraq, including Mandean Baptists. Officials from our embassy in Baghdad last met with representatives of the Mandean community in August 2006 to discuss the problems they faced. In our regular contacts with the Iraqi government we press for action to protect people, regardless of faith or political persuasion, and to take tough measures against all perpetuating the violence.
	The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights is responsible for the protection of minorities in Iraq. We have supported the Ministry by providing advisers, training and human rights training material, including on the rights of minorities, to be used to educate officials in other government departments and institutions.

Kazakhstan

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the meetings attended by the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to Kazakhstan during his visit to the country in September 2003; what subject matter was discussed at each meeting; and which individuals were in attendance at each.

Geoff Hoon: My noble Friend Lord Levy visited Kazakhstan on 1-2 September 2003 as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Envoy. During the visit he met President Nazarbayev, the President's Foreign and Security Policy Adviser Massimov, Foreign Minister Tokaev and the Chairman of the National Bank Grigory Marchenko. During these meetings the then Ambassador, James Sharp, and a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) official were present, as well as the Kazakh Ambassador to London Yerlan Idrissov and other Kazakh officials.
	The subjects covered in these meetings included the political and economic development of Kazakhstan, and regional issues.
	Details of all my noble Friend Lord Levy's overseas visits and meetings as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Envoy are available on the FCO website.

Kazakhstan

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the occasions on which the Prime Minister's Special Envoy to Kazakhstan has visited the country since September 2003; and what meetings he took part in on each occasion.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Envoy, my noble Friend Lord Levy, has not made any visits to Kazakhstan since his visit in September 2003.
	Details of Lord Levy's overseas visits and meetings are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

Overseas Convictions and Arrests

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of British citizens  (a) arrested abroad and  (b) convicted abroad have been reported by her Department to (i) the Home Office and (ii) British police in each of the last five years, broken down by country.

Kim Howells: holding answer 15 January 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 830W. We have not to date kept statistics on the number of cases that we have reported to the Serious Organised Crime Agency primarily because such statistics were not needed for our principal welfare function. However, in order to provide a wider spectrum of information, we are amending our procedures to collate such statistics in future. We are re-visiting our individual case files for the current and past financial year to collate statistics on the number of cases, with which we have dealt, involving serious crimes. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary wrote to Cabinet colleagues on 16 January proposing a review of the way government shares information on criminality. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will play a full role in that review.

Overseas Prisoners

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens are currently  (a) under arrest,  (b) awaiting trial and  (c) serving a prison sentence outside the United Kingdom, broken down by country of arrest and home nation of residence.

Kim Howells: holding answer 18 January 2007
	As at 30 September 2006, British consular officials were aware of 2,421 British nationals detained overseas. We provide consular assistance to any British national, regardless of country of residence. Additionally collecting data on nation of residence would not be possible because laws covering permanent residence, temporary residence and visitor status vary considerably from country to country, making reliable and usable definition and collection impossible. The breakdown by country is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Country  Number 
			 Afghanistan 1 
			 Albania 3 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 4 
			 Argentina 11 
			 Australia 295 
			 Austria 7 
			 Azerbaijan 1 
			 Bahamas 1 
			 Bahrain 2 
			 Barbados 3 
			 Belgium 18 
			 Bolivia 2 
			 Brazil 34 
			 British virgin islands 2 
			 Bulgaria 1 
			 Cambodia 1 
			 Canada 16 
			 China 19 
			 Colombia 3 
			 Costa Rica 3 
			 Croatia 2 
			 Cyprus 17 
			 Czech Republic 2 
			 Denmark 15 
			 Dominica 1 
			 Dominican Republic 1 
			 Ecuador 12 
			 Egypt 2 
			 Ethiopia 2 
			 France 86 
			 Germany 141 
			 Ghana 6 
			 Greece 16 
			 Grenada 4 
			 Guyana 3 
			 India 23 
			 Indonesia 6 
			 Iran 1 
			 Iraq 1 
			 Ireland 87 
			 Israel 2 
			 Italy 15 
			 Jamaica 99 
			 Japan 26 
			 Korea (south) 1 
			 Kuwait 8 
			 Laos 2 
			 Latvia 1 
			 Luxembourg 6 
			 Malaysia 4 
			 Malta 6 
			 Mexico 7 
			 Morocco 6 
			 Namibia 1 
			 Netherlands 55 
			 New Zealand 9 
			 Nicaragua 1 
			 Nigeria 1 
			 Norway 1 
			 Oman 3 
			 Pakistan 8 
			 Panama 5 
			 Peru 16 
			 Philippines 16 
			 Poland 1 
			 Portugal 23 
			 Romania 1 
			 St Lucia 3 
			 Senegal 1 
			 Sierra Leone 2 
			 Singapore 11 
			 Slovenia 2 
			 South Africa 8 
			 Spain 324 
			 Sri Lanka 3 
			 Suriname 3 
			 Sweden 14 
			 Switzerland 6 
			 Syria 2 
			 Taiwan 20 
			 Thailand 118 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 10 
			 Tunisia 1 
			 Turkey 2 
			 United Arab Emirates 23 
			 USA 660 
			 Venezuela 23 
			 Vietnam 5 
			 Zimbabwe 1 
			 Total 2,421

Sudan and Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she has taken to monitor the arms embargo established under UN Security Council resolutions 1556 and 1591 in co-operation with the UN Panel of Experts.

Ian McCartney: The UK rigorously enforces both the EU and UN arms embargoes on Sudan and Darfur. We led international efforts to secure UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCR) 1556 and 1591 which imposed the UN arms embargo on Darfur and established a Panel of Experts to monitor the embargo. We remain committed to supporting the Panel in its work. We strongly supported UNSCR 1713 which added a fifth member to the Panel, and are in regular contact with the Panel both at the Security Council and bilaterally. Most recently, on 11 January 2007, our ambassador in Khartoum met the Panel to discuss its work

Sudan and Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the movement of insurgent armed groups across the Sudan/Chad border.

Ian McCartney: We have seen reports of the ongoing cross-border rebel conflicts in eastern Chad and Darfur. The UK is seriously concerned about the continuing conflict in eastern Chad and the deteriorating situation in the border regions of Chad, Sudan and Central African Republic. The escalating clashes between the rebels and the Chadian army risk worsening the humanitarian crisis and further destabilising the region.
	In the interests of regional peace and security we continue to take every appropriate opportunity to call on the Governments of Chad and Sudan to cease supporting each others' rebels and to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement, which calls for greater respect for border integrity.

Sudan and Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will press the United Nations Security Council to investigate and report publicly on cross border attacks on civilians and other incidents in the Sudan/Chad border zone.

Ian McCartney: The UN Secretary-General's report on Chad and the Central African Republic, dated 22 December 2006, gave an overview of the political, security, humanitarian and human rights situation. This included an assessment of the rebel and criminal activities as well as inter-ethnic clashes in the region.
	A UN technical assessment mission is planned to visit eastern Chad in January/February 2007 to review the current situation in the area and make a further assessment of the options for UN deployment. We have pressed for it to report back as soon as possible.

Sudan and Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterparts at the UN Security Council on pressing the Government of Sudan  (a) to accept the deployment of a strengthened international force with UN elements in Darfur and along the border with Chad,  (b) to monitor the UN arms embargo and  (c) to help implement the Tripoli Agreement of February 2006.

Ian McCartney: At the last UN Security Council consultation on Darfur and Chad on 10 January, we pressed for rapid action on UN deployment in Darfur and Chad. 34 UN troops have deployed to Darfur since 28 December 2006, and a further 152 are expected to deploy under the UN light support package for Darfur.
	We remain committed to supporting the UN Panel of Experts, established under UN Security Council resolution 1591 'inter alia' to monitor the aims embargo, in its work. We are in regular contact with the Panel both at the Security Council and bilaterally. Our most recent meeting was 11 January when our ambassador in Khartoum met the Panel to discuss its work.
	We regularly press the Government of Sudan to fulfil its obligations under the Tripoli Agreement and to slop supporting rebel groups operating in Chad.

Sudan and Chad

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Government of Chad on  (a) ceasing support for armed rebel groups in (i) Chad and (ii) Darfur,  (b) an international force in Darfur and the border region,  (c) monitoring the arms embargo and  (d) the implementation of the Tripoli Agreement of February 2006.

Ian McCartney: The UK permanent representative to the UN met with the Chadian Foreign Minister, Ahmat Allami, on 20 December 2006 during his visit to New York. We gave a clear message that the UK look for a resolution of the crisis in Darfur and an improvement in relations between Chad and Sudan. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also met with the Chadian ambassador to the UK on 20 November 2006 and raised our concerns over the security situation in Chad, including the support for armed rebel groups, the cross-border conflict with Sudan and the stability of the region as a whole.
	We press the Government of Sudan regularly on the need for a viable ceasefire in Darfur and to stop supporting Chadian rebel groups. We also continue to urge both the Government of Chad and the Government of Sudan to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement and respect each other's borders.
	We are currently working in the UN to determine the best options for UN deployment to improve the security of Chad and the region, as envisaged in UN Security Council resolution 1706.

TB: UK Visas

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries' citizens require a certificate to show that they are free from TB in order to gain a UK visa; and what consideration has been given to including additional countries on the list.

Kim Howells: holding answer 18 January 2007
	Tuberculosis (TB) testing has been introduced for visa applicants residing in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Tanzania, Thailand and Sudan who intend to spend more than six months in the UK.
	TB testing for all long-term visa applicants will be introduced this year in China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
	The list of countries where TB testing is required will be kept under review.

Uganda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of  (a) the human rights situation and  (b) the rule of law in Uganda.

Ian McCartney: Uganda's human rights record improved after President Museveni came to power in 1986. It has a reasonably free media, though this freedom is occasionally curtailed when the Ugandan Government perceives a conflict with national interest. Uganda also has active civil society organisations. Rule of law problems remain, including poor policing and questionable activities by security agencies such as allegations of illegal detention, torture and politically motivated harassment. The worst cases of human rights abuse occur in northern Uganda where the general public has not been provided with adequate protection from the Lord's Resistance Army rebels or the military.

Uganda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the government of Uganda on  (a) the human rights situation,  (b) the rule of law and  (c) the decision to try 22 civilians for treason by general military court marshal without legal representation in Uganda.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 834-35W.
	On 12 January the Ugandan Constitutional Court called for the immediate release of the group of 22 people, alleged to be People's Redemption Army rebels, after holding that the continued trial of the group before the General Court Martial was illegal. Three of the group were released under Uganda's Amnesty Act on 13 January. On 15 January the Prison authorities were ordered to bring the group before the High Court. We are following the situation and call on all sides to abide by the constitution and respect the rule of law.

Uganda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the human rights situation in Uganda for the visit of the Queen to the 2007 Commonwealth Meeting in Uganda.

Ian McCartney: The human rights situation in Uganda has improved since President Museveni came to power, but some challenges remain. As I said in my written answer to the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Elfyn Llwyd) on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 834-35W, we regularly discuss these issues with the Ugandan government. We do not judge that there are currently any implications for the visit by Her Majesty the Queen to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Kampala in November 2007.

HEALTH

Aerosols

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned into the effect of butane in aerosols on health.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not commissioned any research into the effect of butane in aerosols on health. However, gas fuels continue to be associated with the majority of volatile substance abuse (VSA) deaths. In 2004, butane from all sources, including aerosol propellants, accounted for 78 per cent. of VSA deaths (37 of the 47 deaths).
	 Source
	St. George's University of London: 18th annual report on trends in death associated with volatile substance 1971-2003, key findings for 2004.

Cancer Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the letter from her Department's National Cancer Director on 19 December 2006, gateway reference 7605, on further details on the cancer reform strategy, what major milestones she expects to achieve as part of the strategy in 2007.

Rosie Winterton: The cancer reform strategy is in the early stages of development. An advisory board of experts including representatives of Royal Colleges, charities, patients and clinicians is being established and the first meeting will be held on 2 February with further meetings planned for May and July. Professor Mike Richards, the National Clinical Director for Cancer, will chair the board.
	In addition, we are setting up a number of new working groups responsible for developing specific aspects of the strategy and inform the work of the advisory board. These groups will meet for the first time in February and March and will consider:
	provider development and service models;
	commissioning and levers for change;
	value for money—costs and benefits;
	clinical outcomes;
	awareness of cancer symptoms and early detection; and
	patient experience.
	We hope to publish the Cancer Reform Strategy by the end of the year.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out the timetable for review of the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes; when she expects to publish new standards; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department is planning to begin a public consultation in April 2007 on proposed changes to the national minimum standards for care homes and associated regulations, with a view to implementing changes in autumn 2007.

Clinical Trials

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust has recovered the costs from the relevant third parties for treating the patients who suffered an adverse drug reaction to the treatment TGN 1412.

Ivan Lewis: I am informed that the payment position has been resolved. A legal agreement has been reached between the parties and that agreement contains confidentiality stipulations.

Community Care Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many service users of social services departments have been in receipt of direct payments in each year since 1997; and how many adults receiving community care services provided by social services departments there were in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The number of adults aged 18 and over receiving direct payments and community-based services during the year in England is shown in the table for 2000-01 to 2005-06. The table also includes the total number of adults receiving social services, including residential care as well as community-based services. Data for earlier years is not available.
	
		
			  Number of adults aged 18 and over receiving direct payments, community-based services and social services in England, 2000-01 to 2005-06 
			  Rounded number 
			   Clients aged 18 and over receiving 
			  1 April to 31 March  Direct payments( 1)  Community-based services( 2)  Social services( 3) 
			 2000-01 5,000 1,330,000 1,568,000 
			 2001-02 6,000 1,372,000 1,632,000 
			 2002-03 10,000 1,403,000 1,679,000 
			 2003-04 15,000 1,462,000 1,737,000 
			 2004-05(4) 24,000 1,455,000 1,720,000 
			 2005-06(5) 37,000 1,492,000 1,748,000 
			 (1) Direct payments are defined as cash payments made in lieu of social service provisions, to individuals who have been assessed as needing services. (2) Community-based services include home care, day care, meals, overnight respite (not in the clients home), short-term residential care (not respite), direct payments, professional support, equipment and adaptations and other community-based care provided by the council. (3) Social services include community-based services, local authority residential care, independent sector residential care and nursing care. (4) Data on the number of people receiving community-based services from 2004-05 is not comparable to previous years. In 2004-05, restated guidance was issued to exclude people receiving services from grant-funded organisations who had not had a community care assessment. (5) Data for 2005-06 are provisional.  Source: Information Centre, RAP.

Dental Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from primary care trusts on the levels of patient charge income for NHS dental services in the 2006-07 financial year; what the content of these representations was; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: No formal representations have been received but at officer level, some primary care trusts (PCTs) have raised concerns that the levels of patient charge revenue so far reported during the year are lower than originally expected. A number of factors may affect levels of patient charge income, including the annual number of units of dental activity commissioned by PCTs, the time needed for new dental services to be commissioned and come into operation, the timeliness of the reports submitted by dentists on completed courses of treatment, changes in the mix of charge-paying and charge exempt patients treated, and the incidence of certain charge-free courses of treatment for patients who would normally pay charges. The Department has provided guidance to help PCTs and dentists understand the local factors that may affect patient charge revenue and the possible actions, if appropriate, that they can take to improve the position.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to raise awareness of foetal alcohol syndrome.

Caroline Flint: Raising awareness of foetal alcohol syndrome is part of the multi million pound "Know Your Limits" alcohol campaign which was launched in October 2006. We have produced a leaflet, "How much is too much when you're having a baby?", which is being widely distributed across the NHS, and to other frontline agencies on request. It is also available for downloading via the campaign website at www.knowyourlimits.gov.uk. We have engaged a public relations agency to take forward a media campaign to increase awareness of issues pertaining to pregnancy and alcohol.
	The Government's vision for maternity services is set out in the maternity standard of the national service framework for children, young people and maternity services. The standard highlights the need for local health promotion arrangements to include the provision of information for parents on the importance of minimising intake of alcohol. It also asks all national health service maternity care providers to ensure that all women who have a significant alcohol use problem receive their care from a multi-agency team, which will include a specialist midwife and/or obstetrician in this area.

Food Supplements Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress has been made by  (a) the Food Standards Agency and  (b) the Better Regulation Executive in assessing the economic impact of the setting of maximum permitted levels of nutrients under the terms of the Food Supplements Directive;
	(2)  how many letters from individual consumers have recently been received by officials of the Food Standards Agency expressing concerns about the setting of maximum permitted levels of nutrients in food supplements;
	(3)  what progress has been made by the Food Standards Agency in producing an authoritative dossier of legal advice to support its promotion to the European Commission of a system of Advisory Statements under the terms of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive;
	(4)  what the policy background was to the adoption by the Food Standards Agency of its system of advisory statements in connection with the setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrients in food supplements; when that approach was adopted; what the rationale was behind the approach; what consumer and manufacturer organisations supported its introduction; what steps she is taking to promote acceptance of such an approach within the European context; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  what recent response she has received from the European Commission to the United Kingdom's objectives for the setting of maximum permitted levels for nutrients in supplements under the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive; and when she expects this issue next to be discussed by member state representatives at Working Group meetings.

Caroline Flint: Food Standard Agency (FSA) officials have met with the Better Regulation Executive and Small Business Service to discuss options for assessing the economic impact of the setting of maximum permitted levels of nutrients under the terms of the Food Supplements Directive. A series of questions are being prepared in order to obtain relevant information from industry to complete the assessment.
	No letters from individual consumers to FSA officials have been received expressing concerns about the setting of maximum permitted levels of nutrients in food supplements. However over 300 letters have been received from small companies and employees from a health food company.
	FSA officials are seeking legal advice on the use of a system of advisory statements under the terms of the Food Supplements Directive.
	The FSA developed the policy for a system of advisory statements following the publication of the results of risk assessment of vitamins and minerals by the expert group on vitamins and Minerals (EVM) in 2003. The majority of food supplement products on the United Kingdom market in 2003 contained amounts of vitamins and minerals that were well below the safe upper levels set by the EVM. However, a small number of products contained levels of vitamins and minerals which were higher than the safe upper level set by the EVM, in single dose form, which could cause adverse effects in some individuals if taken on a regular basis. In consultation with industry representatives from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, Health Food Manufacturer's Association and the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, a number of advisory statements were agreed in May 2004 to be included on labels, which provide information on the potential adverse effects for these products.
	The use of advisory statements approach has been discussed in bilateral meetings between FSA officials, the European Commission and other member states. Further bilateral meetings are planned.
	FSA officials met with the European Commission on 8 November 2006 to discuss the UK Government's response to the Commission's discussion document on setting levels of vitamins and minerals in foodstuffs.
	The Commission welcomed the UK response and indicated that the work by the EVM on setting safe upper levels for on a scientific basis would be a key factor in developing proposals. A timeline for developing proposals has not yet been agreed by the Commission. Working group discussions between member states may begin in late spring with proposals not expected to be brought forward before the end of 2007.

Gender Equality

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she will ensure that the gender equality duty is built into the work of the  (a) Healthcare Commission,  (b) Mental Health Act Commission,  (c) Commission for Social Care Inspectorate and  (d) other health commissions.

Rosie Winterton: The Healthcare Commission, Mental Health Act Commission (a special health authority) and the Commission for Social Care Inspections are listed under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (Public Authorities) (Statutory Duties) Order 2006 as subject to the specific duties. This means they have to develop and publish a gender equality scheme by 6 April 2007 which sets out how they intend to fulfil the general and specific duties and setting out their gender equality objectives.
	The gender equality duty reinforces the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 by placing a legal obligation on public authorities to promote equality of opportunity between men and women, and demonstrating that men and women are treated equally and fairly in the exercise of public functions.
	The Department is working closely with inspectorate bodies and equality commissions to ensure that equality issues including gender equality are integrated into inspection arrangements and relevant sector specific guidance provided to help the health sector promote equality issues. Inspectorate bodies will monitor national health service organisations' commitment to promoting gender equality through annual performance assessment frameworks.
	The Department worked with the gender duty steering group led by the women and equality unit of the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Equal Opportunities Commission to ensure that all gender issues relevant to the health sector were correctly represented in the gender equality duty code of practice for example employment issues through to organisational governance, delivery and outcomes.

Gender Equality

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what her Department's priorities are for the implementation of the gender equality duty across the health sector;
	(2)  how her Department plans to assist the national health service in preparing for coming into force of the gender equality duty.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has undertaken a number of activities to promote equality issues in the national health service, including the forthcoming gender equality duty, and particularly to support the NHS meet its responsibilities under the gender duty. The Department's strategy for promoting gender equality in the NHS is to set action on gender issues within the overall framework for planning and delivering the Department's and NHS' priorities.
	The Department has worked closely with NHS organisations to prepare them for the gender duty when it comes into force in April this year. A detailed programme of work is in place to ensure the implementation of the gender duty across the whole health sector. The programme includes the measures set out as follows.
	The Department is currently developing a gender equality duty guide to assist the NHS meet the duties of the gender duty legislation and will be published at the end of January 2007.
	This guide will be available to all NHS organisations and will be accessible on the Department's website.
	We are working with inspectorate bodies and the Equal Opportunities Commission to ensure that gender equality issues are integrated into inspection arrangements and sector specific guidance provided to help the health sector promote gender equality.
	We are working in partnership with key stakeholders such as the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Women and Equality Unit of the Department for Communities and Local Government, NHS Employers and the Men's Health Forum (MHF) to take forward work on the gender equality duty. A conference was organised for the NHS in November 2006 aimed at creating and enhancing awareness of the meaning of gender and its relevance to health, increasing understanding of the general and specific duties of the gender duty, providing information and guidance on the implementation of the specific duties
	The Department's equality and human rights group is leading a project aimed at supporting the equalities agenda through the development of single equality schemes in the NHS. The project has been set up in anticipation of possible further duties in relation to age, religion and belief and sexual orientation and plans to encourage work to pull together the different equality strands without compromising any of the individual elements in a cross cutting and coherent fashion. Project leads provide support in terms of expertise in the field of equalities legislation, facilitating partnerships and joined up working, research, sharing of good practice and producing guidance. Project leads also provide specific guidance on the gender and disability duties. The organisations involved are committed to producing a single equality scheme and will collectively produce learning that identifies the different steps required to meet both current and likely duties which will be meaningful to the host of diverse organisations within the NHS. Development and outcomes from all the programmes outlined above will be shared and disseminated throughout the NHS.
	We have published "Promoting Equality and Human Rights in the NHS—a Guide for Board Members" aimed at helping non-executive board members take forward the issues of equality and human rights with regard to patients and the work force. The guide outlines the legislative framework and the principles that underpin equality and human rights. It demonstrates the business case for promoting and delivering equality and human rights, and includes a set of prompts for boards to take stock of how fairly their organisations treat their patients and work force. The guide incorporates current and imminent legislation and includes all board members.
	The pacesetters programme is headed by the equality and human rights group. This programme places equality including gender equality at the heart of NHS business, organisational objectives and core values, impacting upon future health planning, performance management and delivery. The group is working with up to five strategic health authorities to deliver equality and diversity improvements and innovations resulting in:
	patient and user involvement in the design and delivery of services;
	reduced health inequalities for patients and service users; and
	working environments that are fair and free of discrimination.
	The participating SHAs launched their local involvement in the programme in November 2006.

Hepatitis A Vaccinations

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hepatitis A vaccinations were administered in sexual health clinics in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) England in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not available centrally.

Hepatitis C Website

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visitors the hepatitis C information website, www.hepc.nhs.uk had in each month during 2006.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of visitors to the NHS hepatitis C awareness website, www.hepc.nhs.uk, in 2006 
			 January 8,072 
			 February 6,843 
			 March 7,557 
			 April 6,369 
			 May 7,710 
			 June 6,511 
			 July 5,600 
			 August 5,335 
			 September 6,650 
			 October 6,461 
			 November 6,558 
			 December 7,319 
			 Total 80,985 
			  Notes: A visitor is considered to be an internet user with a unique internet protocol (IP) address. If the visitor returns to the website within 30 minutes of their previous visit, it is still considered as the same user session or visit. If the visitor returns to the site after 30 minutes, then it is counted as a separate user session and a new visit.

Heroin

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people receiving treatment following the illegal use of heroin are required to pay for their prescriptions; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We do not hold information on how many people receiving treatment as a result of heroin misuse pay for their prescriptions. Those being treated for drug misuse may qualify to receive free prescriptions on the same grounds as other patients.

Maternity Care

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when her Department's delivery plan for maternity services will be  (a) completed and  (b) published; and what consultation on the plan has taken place with the relevant professional medical bodies;
	(2)  how she expects the national delivery plan for maternity services to accommodate the different needs of rural and urban areas.

Ivan Lewis: The delivery plan will focus on the key areas of:
	choice;
	improving access to maternity services; and
	providing continuing support and safe maternity services for all women.
	The commitment to choice will apply to both rural and urban areas.

NHS: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the present position is concerning the redevelopment of Northwick Park hospital.

Ivan Lewis: NHS London has advised the Department that the proposed redevelopment of Northwick Park and St. Mark's hospitals is currently under review because of the trust's own strategic review of services and the wider strategic review of services in North West London.
	Proposals for the wider strategic review are at an early stage of development and formal consultation is expected to begin in the spring.

NHS Database

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been received from  (a) the public and  (b) medical professionals that entries on the NHS database are (i) inaccurate and (ii) false.

Caroline Flint: The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as correspondence is not held centrally in such a way that would make it possible to identify such a request separately from other issues raised.
	There is no existing electronic database which contains the personal health information of all national health service patients. Any request received by the Department complaining of an inaccuracy or error in existing records would be dealt by referring the correspondent to the relevant body concerned as corrective action would involve appropriate amendment by the treating clinician of the relevant locally held record.
	In the future, each person using the NHS will have a personal electronic NHS care record within the NHS care records service, made up of detailed care records and a summary care record. The summary care record element is due to begin to be rolled out, initially at early adopter sites, in 2007.

NHS Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what criteria her Department used to set the rate of interest charged to trusts on money used to fund deficits; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what rate of interest is to be used by NHS Bank in charging interest on money used by trusts to fund deficits; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  when the NHS Bank is planned to be operational and charging interest on money lent to trusts to fund deficits; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Loans are not being made to national health service trusts by NHS Bank. From 2006-07, cash support to NHS trusts will be provided by interest bearing loans and deposits issued by the Department.
	All long-term loans will attract interest at a rate equivalent to the national loans fund rate at the date the loan is advanced. The interest rate is determined by reference to the prevailing rate at the date the loan is drawn, as notified on the Public Works Loan Board website.
	Loans requested by NHS trusts in 2006-07 are currently undergoing a review process and the interest rate cannot be determined prior to approval and formal letting of the loan.

Out-patient Treatment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect on training of NHS doctors and nurses of directing out-patient work towards independent treatment centres.

Rosie Winterton: To date, no out-patients have been referred to independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs). In the future there will be the opportunity for out-patients requiring specific treatments to be referred to ISTCs. Where this is the case, they will be required through contracting arrangements to provide training for national health service doctors and nurses.

Prescription Charging

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether her Department plans to undertake a disability impact assessment as part of its current review of prescription charging policy;
	(2)  whether disabled people will be involved in the review of prescription charging policy;
	(3)  what steps she is taking to ensure that policy on prescription charges complies with the disability equality duty.

Caroline Flint: As part of our review of prescription charges, we shall be conducting an equality impact assessment, which includes disability equality as required by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Our arrangements for meeting our duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, and other equality legislation, are set out in our single equality scheme which was published on 4 December 2006.
	We would welcome comments from any organisations or individuals who wish to do so on possible options for changing the current prescription charge arrangements that are cost-neutral for the national health service.

Residential Care: Nutrition

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the potential conflict of interest in the Food Standards Agency's report Food Served to Older People in Residential Care which recommends the nutritional assessment package, Saffron Nutrition, and which was compiled by an employee of the company which produces the package; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We have received no representations on any potential conflict of interest.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published generic guidance, "FSA Nutrient and Food Based Guidelines for UK Institutions", and specific guidance for food served to older people in residential care. Neither guidance recommends the use of a specific nutritional assessment package.
	The FSA advice to those providing food to older people in residential care notes that it is important that nutritional analysis uses appropriate software with up-to-date information. A freelance dietician commissioned to develop example menus for care homes to illustrate how the guidance can be met in practice utilised the Saffron software package. A range of software packages are available for dieticians to use and will provide an accurate analysis when used correctly.

Sexual Health

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to ensure that recommended standards for sexual health services are being implemented by primary care trusts.

Caroline Flint: The recommended standards are markers of good practice which are part of a range of guidance that the Department has provided to primary care trusts (PCTs) to support implementation of the strategy for sexual health and HIV. Copies of the standards were sent to each PCT in 2005. It is for PCTs to decide how to use the Department's guidance in determining what level of services they provide in order to meet the needs of their local population. The Department is planning to issue an updated sexual health commissioning toolkit this year which will cross refer and reference existing guidance including these standards.

Social Services: Ashford

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated by central Government to local government for social services in Ashford local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The provision of social services in the Ashford area is the responsibility of Kent county council.
	Funding for local authorities' social service responsibilities are paid through formula grant (revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates) and specific grant.
	Formula grant is unhypothecated provision and decisions on the use of that grant are for local authorities to make, bearing in mind their statutory responsibilities and the wishes of their electorate.
	Under the provisional local government finance settlement 2007-08, Kent county council receives a formula grant of £228.685 million which is an increase of 2.7 per cent. on a like for like basis.
	In addition, Kent will receive the following specific grants for adult social care amounting to £42.591 million:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Access and systems capacity 13.386 
			 Child and adolescent mental health services 1.786 
			 Carers grants 4.353 
			 Commission for social care inspection 0.017 
			 Delayed discharge 2.477 
			 HR development strategy 1.082 
			 Improving management information 0.479 
			 Mental health grant 2.870 
			 National training strategy 2.335 
			 Preserved rights 12.217 
			 Preventative technology grant 1.245 
			 Mental Capacity Act and the independent mental capacity advocate 0.344

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) action he has taken following and  (b) response he has made to the recommendation of the primate subcommittee of the Animal Procedures Committee that his approval for Centre 5 to supply primates for use in procedures under the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 should not be renewed.

Joan Ryan: The advice recorded in the Animal Procedures Committee Annual Report for 2005 in respect of Centre five was followed by further advice from the sub-committee on 6 January 2006 that the centre should be accepted as a source of primates subject to the expectation that the Home Office would use its best endeavours to take forward improvements the sub-committee had identified, particularly with respect to the duration and conditions of the conditioning period; that acceptance should be for a period of 12 months only, at which time it should be reviewed along with other centres in South Asia; that future approval of the centre should be conditional on the provision of foraging materials and solid shelves; and that the time animals spend in conditioning cages should be substantially reduced.
	This further advice will be recorded in the Committee's annual report for 2006.
	Both pieces of advice were accepted and acted upon by the Home Office, the centre being informed that it would be removed from the approved list in May 2005 and that it could re-apply for approved status in a further letter in January 2006.

DNA Database

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many profiles held on the DNA database relate to people under the age of 18 who have been  (a) arrested but had no further action taken against them,  (b) charged but later acquitted,  (c) charged, where such charges were subsequently dropped, and  (d) given a reprimand or final warning; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: Data on the arrest histories of persons with a profile on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) is not held on the NDNAD, but is held on the Police National Computer (PNC). However, the data requested are not currently available routinely from the PNC.
	The data provided in the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham) the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department on 31 January 2006,  Official Report, column 367W, was obtained from data extracted from the PNC for monitoring and research purposes. The PNC data extract was provided to the ACPO DNA and Fingerprint Retention Project Team (funded by the Home Office Forensic Science and Pathology Unit) and the NDNAD Data Quality and Integrity Team in November 2005.
	The data requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by cross-searching approximately 3 million records retained for such persons on the PNC.
	The Home Office, ACPO and PITO are holding discussions on the possibility of being able to provide such information from the NDNAD and PNC.

Overseas Doctors

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how non-EU trainee doctors may complete NHS training in the UK under the new immigration rules concerning work permits.

Joan Ryan: The Immigration Rules for post graduate doctors and dentists changed on 3 April 2006. Those that had sufficient leave remaining under the old rules may complete their training programme.
	Those who have graduated from a UK medical school may undertake a Foundation Programme without applying for a work permit under the new rules.
	Those who qualified overseas and who wish to come to the UK to undertake post graduate training will need to qualify under the Medical Training Initiatives category of the Training and Work Experience Scheme, the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme or as a work permit holder

Passports

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) passport applications and  (b) passports were lost in the post in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) do not keep records of instances where customers advise that an application has apparently gone missing in the post en route to a passport office.
	Similarly IPS do not have records on the numbers of passports accompanying passport applications lost in the post en route to a passport office.
	The numbers of passports lost whilst on delivery from IPS for the last five years are as follows;
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 2,541 
			 2002 2,982 
			 2003 3,593 
			 2004 (1) 601 
			 2005 (2)1,018 
			 2006 (3)654 
			 (1) February to January 2005 (2) February to January 2006 (3) February 2006 to October 2006 
		
	
	Prior to 2004 passports were delivered by Royal Mail but February 2004 saw the introduction of secure delivery, with the delivery of passports undertaken by Secure Mail Services.

Police

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total Government grant to the Metropolitan police was for  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 1997-98.

Tony McNulty: Total Government grant for the Metropolitan police for the years requested is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Total Government grant( 1) 
			   £ million 
			 1996-97 1,563.1 
			 1997-98 1,587.5 
			 (1) General grant and capital provision.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he or Ministers from his Department last visited Bangladesh; and what steps his Department is taking to support the re-establishment of favourable conditions for free and fair elections in Bangladesh.

Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State for International Development visited Bangladesh in December 2005.
	DFID is working closely with the British High Commission in Dhaka to support the re-establishment of favourable conditions for free and fair elections.
	Our common assessment, shared with much of the international community, that preparations for the Bangladesh election planned for 22 January lacked credibility, and that the election would have been boycotted by the main opposition parties, led to DFID's decision to suspend plans to support civil society monitoring and international observation of this election.
	On 11 January the President proclaimed a State of Emergency, postponed the elections and resigned as Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government. A new Chief Adviser was appointed on 13 January.
	With the British High Commissioner, DFID is seeking meetings with the Chief Adviser and other Advisers of the new Caretaker Government to offer further technical and financial support for actions that will ensure a free and fair election. If this is accepted, we will prioritise this in the months ahead. In addition, our ongoing support for a programme to monitor and prevent political violence in Bangladesh will continue during the state of emergency.
	When the date of a new election, based on credible preparations that ensure that the election will be free and fair and contested by all major parties, is announced, we expect to resume support for civil society election monitoring and international observation. If necessary, we will revise the planned activities to fit the new political environment.

Opinion Research

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on commissioning public opinion research in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 402W.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Victims Commissioner Appointment

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will institute an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Victims Commissioner Bertha McDougall.

Peter Hain: The Attorney General announced on 4 December 2006 that he had asked Peter Scott QC to review the issues Mr. Justice Girvan raised in his judgment relating to the appointment of the Interim Victims Commissioner. The Government is co-operating fully with that review. Meanwhile, I am strongly appealing the judge's ruling that the appointment was unlawful.

Victims Commissioner Appointment

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to appeal against the judgment of Mr. Justice Girvan in the case of the application for judicial review by Brenda Downes concerning the procedure for the appointment of the Interim Victims Commissioner.

Peter Hain: I welcome the High Court's decision of 15 January not to quash Bertha McDougall's appointment. Mrs. McDougall is doing important work on behalf of all victims and she is due to present her report to me soon. I am disappointed, however, by the Court's finding that the appointment was unlawful and I will be strongly appealing that ruling.

Magilligan Prison

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost to the public purse is expected to be of the work envisaged to be undertaken at Magilligan Prison as a result of the planning application which appeared in the local press in the week commencing 8th January.

Paul Goggins: The tendered costs of the provision of the 50-bed interim contingency accommodation at Magilligan are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Works 1,708,621.23 
			 Professional services 93,701.48 
			 Risk allowance 102,517.27 
			 Total 1,904,839.98

Paint-balling

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what age restrictions apply to the sport of paint-balling in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Schedule 1, paragraph 8 of the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 outlines certain conditions in respect of recreational facilities used for shooting activities, including paint-balling. A person who has attained the age of 16 years may, without holding a firearm certificate, have in his possession at a paint-balling facility an air pistol capable of discharging a missile at a kinetic energy of no more than 8.13 joules or an air gun capable of discharging a missile at a kinetic energy of no more than 16.27 joules. The person operating the facility must have a firearm certificate for each air weapon used for paint-balling.

Plastic Batons

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people reported injuries from the police in Northern Ireland using plastic baton rounds in 2006.

Paul Goggins: No impact rounds were used by the police in Northern Ireland in 2006.
	The Government and the Chief Constable have stated publicly that the AEP will not be used for the purposes of public order/crowd control but only in response to an individual or individuals threatening violence where the only alternative would be the use of live rounds, following the same rules as in England and Wales.

PSNI

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how applicants to the Police Service of Northern Ireland who have moved from other EU countries to live in Northern Ireland are regarded in determining the religious background of applicants for the purpose of the 50/50 policy.

Paul Goggins: All applicants to the PSNI are required to complete an equality monitoring form in accordance with the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (NI) 1998 and the Fair Employment Monitoring Regulations 1999, irrespective of their country of origin.
	In selecting candidates into training as police officers the Chief Constable is required to make appointments on a 50:50 basis as set out in the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000, where one half shall be persons who are treated as Roman Catholic and one half shall be persons who are not so treated. The information given by applicants on the equality monitoring form is used in making these appointments.

Warm Homes Scheme

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the take-up has been of the Warm Homes scheme in each Northern Ireland constituency for 2006; how many installations there have been; and what the total cost was of the work involved.

David Hanson: The information is set out in the following table. It should be noted, however, that some homes may have received heating and insulation measures, therefore, adding the number of homes that received insulation and heating measures together will not give an accurate picture of the number of homes completed in 2006.
	
		
			  Constituency  Insulation measures—number of homes  Total cost of work (£)  Heating measures—number of homes  Total cost of work (£) 
			 Belfast East 221 93,007.02 58 158,583.35 
			 Belfast North 365 150,902.43 117 328,003.69 
			 Belfast South 143 57,336.27 31 90,202.39 
			 Belfast West 297 104,600.10 126 373,760.69 
			 East Antrim 307 137,679.20 54 153,845.03 
			 East Londonderry 310 149,459.49 117 353,055.86 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 343 221,939.37 255 835,539.43 
			 Foyle 334 120,812.66 259 775,847.37 
			 Lagan Valley 264 145,403.98 80 256,936.64 
			 Mid-Ulster 411 243,383.21 298 975,932.16 
			 Newry and Armagh 680 402,619.67 319 1,021,732.68 
			 North Antrim 238 140,887.50 127 362,350.25 
			 North Down 235 106,287.04 45 126,615.57 
			 South Antrim 473 232,478.29 119 335,121.99 
			 South Down 486 285,693.52 205 671,657.94 
			 Strangford 233 113,208.68 81 240,866.94 
			 Upper Bann 436 231,277.38 238 706,751.28 
			 West Tyrone 430 248,034.27 189 617,313.64 
			 Total 6,206 3,185,010.08 2,718 8,384,116.90

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet Committee Rules

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what rules apply to the attendance at Cabinet Committees by persons other than Ministers or officials.

Tony Blair: Those who are not Ministers or officials may exceptionally be invited to attend Cabinet Committees, either on a standing or ad-hoc basis, where they have expertise which will aid discussion. However, they do not participate in decisions, which are for Ministers alone.

Ministerial Meetings

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  which companies were discussed with President Nazarbayev in their meeting on 21 November 2006;
	(2)  on what dates he has had conversations with President Nazarbayev since 21 November 2006; and what matters were discussed on each occasion.

Tony Blair: I last met President Nazarbayev on 21 November 2006. We discussed a wide range of issues. I also refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with President Nazarbayev and to the joint communiqué issued. Transcripts of these are available on the No. 10 website and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

BAE Systems

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister, when he was first informed of allegations that excessive payments had been made or agreed in order to secure the British Aerospace contract for a military air traffic system in Tanzania.

Tony Blair: The investigation by the Serious Fraud Office of allegations which relate to BAE Systems plc is a matter of public record.

SCOTLAND

Advertising

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on advertising with  The Guardian newspaper, including online, in the last year for which figures are available.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office incurred no expenditure on advertising in 2005-06.

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether introducing  (a) new council tax bands and  (b) a council tax revaluation in Scotland, would be a reserved matter.

David Cairns: Local taxes—such as council tax and non-domestic rates—to fund local authority expenditure are matters for the Scottish Executive.

Departmental Equipment

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of his Department's  (a) computers and  (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, no computers and one laptop have been reported stolen; the laptop was stolen in February 2000 and had a value of £2,200 when originally purchased.

Government Auctions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland where his Department publishes information about Government auctions which it arranges or to which it contributes in  (a) Blackpool,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) the North West; and when the next such auction will take place in each area.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not hold auctions.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Army Prosecutions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will review the appropriateness of the six-month period of limitation in the light of the Army Prosecuting Authority's recent decision in a case involving alleged offences at al-Amarah in April 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: There are no current plans to review the six-month statutory time limit under section 127 of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980 as it ensures that summary matters are dealt with expeditiously. This provision applies to the courts martial through the medium of a practice memorandum issued by the Judge Advocate General, designed to ensure equality of treatment between civilians and army personnel.
	The decision by the APA not to pursue a prosecution in the al-Amarah case followed a thorough investigation by the Royal Military Police.
	The APA has referred the case back to the Army who will now consider taking internal disciplinary and administrative action in respect of these matters.

BAE Systems

Susan Kramer: To ask the Solicitor-General what discussions  (a) he,  (b) the Attorney-General and  (c) officials from his Department have had with other Ministers on the recent decision by the Serious Fraud Office not to pursue the investigation into BAE Systems and its aircraft contract with Saudi Arabia.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 8 January 2007
	In December 2005 the Attorney-General, in accordance with the well-established procedure known as a "Shawcross" exercise, sought views from ministerial colleagues as to the public interest considerations raised by the SFO investigation. Such views were provided to the Attorney in December 2005 by the Prime Minister and the then Foreign and Defence Secretaries and updated in September 2006. Further such views were provided to the Attorney by the Prime Minister and the Foreign and Defence Secretaries in December 2006. Those views were conveyed to the Director of the SFO. In addition the Leader of the House of Commons raised the case with the Attorney-General in November 2006. The decision to discontinue the investigation was taken by the SFO in its capacity as the independent prosecuting and investigating authority.

BAE Systems

Vincent Cable: To ask the Solicitor-General what meetings  (a) the Attorney-General and  (b) the Director of the Serious Fraud Office had in 2006 with (i) representatives of BAE Systems and (ii) the UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Neither the Attorney-General, nor I, nor the Director of the SFO held any meetings with representatives of BAE Systems. The Director of the SFO met HM ambassador to Saudi Arabia three times (in November and December 2006). I also attended the final meeting. The Attorney-General had no meetings with the ambassador.

Bona Vacantia Division

John Hayes: To ask the Solicitor-General what the  (a) income and  (b) asset turnover of the bona vacantia division was in 2005-06.

Mike O'Brien: The information is as follows.
	 (a) The division received £36,053,648 (net £20,259,563) from the collection and disposal of bona vacantia assets. £17 million was transferred to the Consolidated Fund in 2005-06.
	 (b) 11,461 new cases were notified to the division in 2005-06. During the same period 13,210 cases were completed involving the collection, sale, disclaimer or retention of assets.

Prosecutions

John Hayes: To ask the Solicitor-General how many criminal cases were dropped by the prosecution in 2005-06 because of a lack of certainty that a conviction could be obtained; and what guidelines are given on how to determine whether the likelihood of conviction is sufficient for a case to proceed.

Mike O'Brien: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) records show that, during the year ending March 2006, proceedings in respect of 61,616 defendants were discontinued or withdrawn at court because the evidential test contained in the Code for Crown Prosecutors was not satisfied.
	Guidance to crown prosecutors on whether to proceed with a prosecution is contained in the code and all cases are reviewed in accordance with it. A prosecution can only proceed if both of the tests in the code are met.
	Firstly, a crown prosecutor must be satisfied that there is enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction. This is an objective test which means that a jury or bench of magistrates or judge hearing a case alone, properly directed in accordance with the law, is more likely than not to convict the defendant of the charge alleged.
	If the case passes the evidential test, the crown prosecutor then has to consider whether a prosecution is required in the public interest. A prosecution will usually take place unless there are public interest factors tending against prosecution which clearly outweigh those tending in favour.
	The review of a case is a continuing process, and crown prosecutors must take account of any changes in circumstances. This may mean that a case is discontinued or withdrawn at court if there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction or if it is not in the public interest to continue.

Serious Fraud Cases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will undertake a review of the implications for national security of each serious fraud case at the earliest feasible stage.

Mike O'Brien: No. In accordance with the principles set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors, the Serious Fraud Office has regard to the public interest in all cases, including where relevant the national security implications.

Victims' Compensation

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to secure compensation for victims.

Mike O'Brien: Crown prosecutors ensure when reviewing a case that it includes the information required to make an informed application for compensation or restitution at the court hearing. The Crown Prosecution Service provides any information required by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority or the Criminal Injuries Compensation Panel within 60 days of receiving the request.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Benefits in Kind

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what deduction for benefits in kind are permissible against the rates of national minimum wage; when they were last uprated; and by how much in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Accommodation is the only benefit in kind that counts towards minimum wage pay.
	From 1 October 2006 the maximum amount that can be offset against the minimum wage in respect of the provision of accommodation increased from £3.90 to £4.15 per day.

Business Relocations

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of UK firms which have relocated to other EU states in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of jobs lost as a result of UK firms relocating to EU countries in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: As companies are not required to report decisions to relocate to other EU member states, it is not possible to produce an estimate of this sort. However, the UK remains the top destination in Europe for inward investment, with 8,019 projects over the last 10 years, creating 430,843 jobs.
	We know of 305 inward investments into the UK from other EU member states in 2005-06 of which 140 were helped by the inward investment network of UKTI, RDAs and devolved Administrations. The network seeks out knowledge driven inward investment and makes the strong case to them for the UK as a place to do business. It offers tailored assistance to potential inward investors, for example to find technology partners, skilled staff and suitable sites.

Employment Agencies

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints have been made to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate under  (a) regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003 and  (b) under regulation 9(11) of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 1976 in the last five years; how many of these complaints were upheld; and how many complaints led to prosecution proceedings.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 16 January 2007
	A total of 33 complaints have been made to the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate under regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003. Statistics on complaints made under regulation 9(11) of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 1976 are not readily available as complaints statistics under these regulations were not disaggregated in this way. One of these complaints was upheld, and a corrective letter sent to the agency concerned. None of the complaints have led to prosecution proceedings.

Post Office Closures

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has undertaken to assess the impact of the closure of rural post offices on rural communities.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government recognise the important social and economic role that post offices play in rural communities. That is why Government have allocated £750 million to 2008 specifically to support the maintenance of non-commercial branches in rural areas.
	The Government proposals for the future of the Post Office recognise the need for ongoing support beyond 2008.

Third-party Transfers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what conditions are placed on the sale of military equipment by  (a) the United Kingdom and  (b) European Union member states to prevent third-party transfers.

Malcolm Wicks: Exports from the UK of Military List equipment are subject to rigorous assessment against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. These criteria include the risk of diversion to third parties.
	As a national competence, it is for EU member states to assess their own export licence applications for military equipment using, inter alia, the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports. The code of conduct includes the risk of diversion.

TRANSPORT

Amateur Photography: Rail Stations

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on amateur photography at train stations in England.

Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 17 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1153W.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will reply to the letter of 4 December 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. N. Joyce.

Stephen Ladyman: The reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on the 17 January 2007.

Departmental Hospitality

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's expenditure on hospitality and entertainment was in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2005-06.

Gillian Merron: For information on hospitality and entertainment for Ministers, I refer the hon. Member to the Prime Minister's answer of 9 February 1998,  Official Report, column 17W, to the right hon. Member for Rotherham (Mr. MacShane) which provides the global figure for Government expenditure on ministerial entertaining and hospitality for official purposes in 1996-97.
	As the Department was only established following machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002, information is not available for 1996-97.
	The Department and its agencies spent £90,860.30 on hospitality and expenditure during 2005-06.

Driving Licences

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what circumstances motorists will be required to retake their driving tests under the EU directive on driving licences; and when the directive will be implemented in the UK.

Stephen Ladyman: A new European Union (EU) directive on driving licences (Directive 2006/126/EC) was adopted and published in the  Official Journal of the European Communities on 30 December 2006. The directive introduces no requirement to retake driving tests. The directive gives member states until January 2011 to transpose the new measures into national law, and until January 2013 to bring them into effect.

Highways Agency

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency spent on programme expenditure in Gravesham local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested in not available.

Highways Agency

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Highways Agency spent on programme expenditure in Ashford's local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

Pay Bargaining Unit

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the last full equal pay audit was conducted in each pay bargaining unit in his Department; at which grades there is a gender pay gap of more than 5 per cent.; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the most recent equal pay audits.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 December 2006
	The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Date of the last equal pay audit  Bargaining unit  Grades with a gender pay gap above 5 per cent.  Will a copy of the audit be placed in the Library? 
			 2006(1) DfT (Centre ) None Yes, subject to completion of discussions with all associated parties 
			 2006 Vehicle Certification Agency None Yes, subject to completion of discussions with the Trade Unions 
			 2005 Highways Agency Pay Band 1 (AA) No 
			 2006 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency None No 
			 2003 Driving Standards Agency None A copy is already available in the Libraries of the House 
			 2006(2) Maritime and Coastguard Agency Pay Band C (EO) Yes, once the final document is agreed with the Trade Unions 
			 2006 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency None Yes, subject to completion of discussions with the Trade Unions 
			 2005 Government Car and Despatch Agency None A copy is already available in the Libraries of the House 
			 (1) September (2) August

Rail Services

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains have arrived on time at London train stations from Bexhill and Brighton train stations in the last 10 years.

Tom Harris: Train running data for the rail network as a whole are collected and processed by Network Rail. The data we have are for the geographical area which includes Bexhill and Brighton and what we have has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Road Safety

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the expenditure on road safety advertising was in each year since 1991; and how many accidents there were in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: For details of road safety advertising since 2002, I refer the hon. Member to my reply given to the him today (UIN 115678).
	Road casualty statistics are published annually within the Road Casualties Great Britain report which is available online at www.dft.gov.uk and in the Libraries of the House.

Safety Campaigns

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what safety campaigns his Department has run since May 1997; what the cost was of each; and what assessment he has made of the impact on the relevant indicators in the following year in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department was formed in May 2002. The requested figures are set out as follows.
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  DfT central 
			 THINK! road safety campaign (£ million) 13.4 14.8 14.06 18.14 
			  
			  DfT agencies 
			 Highways Agency driver education programs (£000) n/a 80 80 636 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency (£000) 166 177 253 155 
			  
			 Total (£ million) 13.6 15 14.4 18.9 
		
	
	The Government have an objective of reducing road deaths and serious injuries (KSIs) by 40 per cent. (50 per cent. for children) by the year 2010. A mix of engineering, enforcement and education measures are used to help meet these targets, of which the THINK! road safety campaign and the Highways Agency's driver information programmes forms part. Safety also features in the Driving Standard Agency's ongoing education programmes such as Pass Plus and Arrive Alive. We are on course to meet the 2010 target of a 40 per cent. reduction in KSIs overall, and it is predicted that we will exceed the 50 per cent. reduction among children. The 2005 road casualty figures indicate that the number of people killed or seriously injured in 2005 was 33 per cent. below the 1994-98 average and 49 per cent. for children.
	Promotional activity by the MCA is designed to raise awareness of the need for safe practice near water and includes promotional activity under the banner "Seasmart" and a public information film raising awareness of HM Coastguard. No formal PSA target has been set for sea safety.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether vehicle tax disc reminder notices have in some cases ceased to be sent.

Stephen Ladyman: Vehicle licence renewal forms (V11s) continue to be sent out by DVLA around three weeks before a tax disc or statutory off road notification expires. Non-delivery of a V11 can be caused by a variety of reasons, including the vehicle keeper failing to notify change of address or it being lost in the post. Although DVLA is under no statutory obligation to issue V11s, provision of the service has benefits for both DVLA and the motoring public. There are no plans to discontinue this service.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disabled People

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of disabled people were living in  (a) relative and  (b) absolute poverty in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The information requested is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Proportion of disabled people living in households with less than 60 per cent. contemporary median income, Great Britain 1996-07 to 2004-05 
			   Proportion (percentage) 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 1996-97 21 30 
			 1997-98 22 29 
			 1998-99 23 30 
			 1999-2000 22 30 
			 2000-01 22 28 
			 2001-02 23 29 
			 2002-03 22 26 
			 2003-04 21 25 
			 2004-05 21 24 
			  Notes: The commonly used low income threshold of below 60 per cent. of contemporary median has been used for statistics showing 'relative low income'. Disabled people include the total of disabled children, disabled working age and disabled pensioners. Percentages are rounded to the nearest percentage point.  Source:  Family Resources Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Proportion of disabled people living in households with less than 60 per cent. absolute median income, Great Britain 1996-07 to 2004-05 
			   Proportion (percentage) 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 1996-97 21 30 
			 1997-98 22 31 
			 1998-99 18 23 
			 1999-2000 16 21 
			 2000-01 15 18 
			 2001-02 12 15 
			 2002-03 10 13 
			 2003-04 10 12 
			 2004-05 10 11 
			  Notes: The low income threshold of below 60 per cent. of 1996-07 GB median has been used in this answer to determine 'absolute low income'. There are other thresholds. Disabled people include the total of disabled children, disabled working age and disabled pensioners. Percentages are rounded to the nearest percentage point.  Source:  Family Resources Survey

State Pension: NI Contributions

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 906W, on state pension: NI contributions, for which other financial years his Department holds equivalent information.

Jim Murphy: Home Responsibilities Protection was introduced from the 1978-79 tax year and has been recorded on the national insurance accounts of all those who are entitled to it for this and all subsequent years.

TREASURY

Autumn Performance Reports

Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance provided by his Department to Departments on what they should disclose in their 2006 autumn performance reports.

Stephen Timms: A copy of the guidance issued for the 2006 autumn performance reports has been placed in the library.

Comprehensive Spending Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the budget is for his national debate on the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review; and how many events he has scheduled in 2007 as part of the debate;
	(2)  how many staff in his Department spend more than 70 per cent. of their time working on his national debate for the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, broken down by pay band;
	(3)  what specific issues related to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review will be debated nationally;
	(4)  what the planned  (a) start and  (b) end date is of his national debate on the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review;
	(5)  whether he plans to hold a national debate on the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review;
	(6)  whether the national debate on the Comprehensive Spending Review announced in the Budget in March 2006 has been completed.

Stephen Timms: The Government want the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review to be informed by wide public debate on the long- term challenges facing the UK. Across Government the public are being engaged on issues related to the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
	As part of its analytical work on the long-term challenges facing the UK in the coming decade, and through a series of detailed policy reviews, the Government have already undertaken extensive consultation with third sector organisations, service users, front-line professionals, businesses, think-tanks and academics, amongst others. These reviews will continue in the run-up to the CSR to engage the public on cross-cutting issues, from how to achieve a world-class skills base to how to ensure all children have the chance to make the most of their potential.
	Through the recently published 'Long-term opportunities and challenges for the UK' document, the pre- Budget report and accompanying leaflet and the HM Treasury website, the Government have also invited the public to send in their views on the long-term challenges facing the UK and how Government, citizens, businesses and communities should respond to them.
	In addition to these consultation exercises the Cabinet has set up ministerial working groups in six key areas: energy and the environment; public services; the economy; crime, justice and cohesion; foreign policy and the role of the state. These groups are collectively considering the future opportunities and challenges for policy in these areas and will engage the public in parts of the process. For example, 100 representative members of the public will be consulted in a "deliberative forum" and attend a day-long public services "summit".
	The development of new public service agreements (PSAs) for the CSR period will translate the conclusions of this work into a new set of priority outcomes for Government. In developing published delivery agreements, which underpin these PSAs, Departments will consult front-line professionals, service users and stakeholders on the most effective ways to incentivise successful delivery.
	The engagement being undertaken to inform the CSR cuts across a broad spectrum of Government business, involving staff from across the Treasury and other Departments, and is being delivered through a wide array of channels. It is not possible to separate out the specific budget number of events, number of staff or proportion of staff time involved.

Education Funding

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the additional funds going directly to schools announced in the pre-Budget report 2006 will be classified as  (a) current expenditure and  (b) capital expenditure.

Stephen Timms: The pre-Budget report 2006 announced an additional £130 million of funds going directly to schools in 2007-08. This is all provided as current expenditure.
	The pre-Budget report also confirmed that schools capital investment will rise to £8.0 billion in 2010-11.

Efficiency Programme

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he expects to publish the review of the Efficiency Programme.

Stephen Timms: The Government have not undertaken a review of the Efficiency Programme.

Lyons Review

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Government jobs  (a) have been and  (b) are planned to be re-located away from London and the South East to other parts of the country by the time the Lyons review process is completed.

Stephen Timms: We expect to meet our target to relocate 20,000 civil service posts out of London and the south-east by 2010. By the end of September 2006 more than 10,500 posts had been moved out of London and the south-east, including moves to every nation and region in the UK.

Lyons Review

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Government jobs  (a) have been relocated under the Lyons review and  (b) he expects to be re-located by the end of the review process to (i) Liverpool and (ii) Wirral.

Stephen Timms: By September 2006 more than 10,500 civil service posts had been moved out of London and the south-east to every nation and region in the UK. Of these more than 2,000 posts have been moved to the north-west, with 514 posts going to Liverpool. No posts have been moved to Wirral. The exact location of posts is a matter for individual Departments and agencies rather than the Treasury. Departments have not yet made firm plans for the remaining 9,500 relocations.

National Asset Register

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department will publish an updated version of the National Asset Register.

Stephen Timms: Later this month.

Public Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of average per capita public expenditure on each income decile group in each year since 1997-98.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 January 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the estimate is of the average per capita public expenditure on each income decile group in each year since 1997-98. (115524)
	Estimates of cash benefits and benefits in kind received by households are provided in the ONS analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income'. The latest analysis for 2004/05 was published on the National Statistics website on 12th May 2006 at http://wvvw.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis is based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey, which is a sample survey covering approximately 7,000 households in the UK. Through measuring household receipts of benefits, this analysis shows how government expenditure on cash benefits and benefits in kind are allocated to different types of households, and in particular households in different income decile groups.
	The results in the article are presented for households rather than on a per capita basis. However, the table below shows average per capita receipts of cash benefits and benefits in kind for each income decile group. A more detailed breakdown by different types of benefit appears in the annual article (although presented as household averages, rather than per capita).
	Cash benefits include things like Income Support, Child Benefit, Incapacity Benefit, and the state Retirement Pension. The estimates of benefits in kind reflect the value of education and health services provided by the state to households, and also include housing and travel subsidies. Together these items constitute approximately 55 per cent of total government expenditure. They are the parts of government expenditure which can be directly allocated to households. Other types of expenditure such as on defence cannot be allocated except on the assumption that all households benefit equally.
	
		
			  Average per capita receipts of benefits by household income decile( 1)  1997-98 to 2004-05, UK 
			  £ per year 
			   Decile groups ranked by equivalised disposable household income 
			   Bottom  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  Top  All households 
			 1997-98 3,610 3,768 4,175 3,587 2,847 2,547 2,010 1,757 1,469 1,355 2,633 
			 1998-99 3,546 3,966 4,115 3,517 2,946 2,479 2,117 1,675 1,495 1,366 2,685 
			 1999-2000 3,884 4,323 4,302 3,726 3,217 2,738 2,326 1,968 1,617 1,477 2,937 
			 2000-01 4,212 4,510 4,329 3,812 3,180 2,618 2,194 1,998 1,664 1,441 2,956 
			 2001-02 4,238 4,941 4,869 4,189 3,515 3,047 2,497 2,167 1,673 1,639 3,261 
			 2002-03 4,515 4,952 5,082 4,440 3,819 3,384 2,837 2,287 2,087 1,785 3,514 
			 2003-04 4,866 5,538 5,287 4,516 4,113 3,440 3,103 2,539 2,278 1,917 3,744 
			 2004-05 5,309 5,694 5,618 4,936 4,199 3,945 3,217 2,675 2,230 2,171 3,979 
			 (1) Benefits include cash benefits (income support, housing benefit, jobseeker's allowance etc.) and benefits in kind (the value of education and health services provided by the state, plus travel and housing subsidies).  Source: 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', ONS.

Social and Economic Regeneration

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) progress has been made to date and  (b) timetable has been set for completion of the cross cutting review of the future role of the third sector in social and economic regeneration that will be used to inform the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: It was announced in the 2006 Budget that the Government would carry out the largest ever consultation with the third sector. Nine regional events and 83 sub-regional events have been held across England involving over 2,000 people representing over 1,000 organisations and 250 written responses have been received. These responses informed the basis of the interim report published on 6 December as part of the pre-Budget report. The review will be concluded as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

VAT Registration

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the target turnaround time is for new VAT registrations.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs aim to complete processing of applications, or identify as high risk, within 14 days following receipt.

Water and Sewerage Dividends

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was received by the Exchequer from the dividends from the water and sewerage industry in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what criteria he has used to determine percentage level of the annual dividend paid by the water and sewerage industry to the Exchequer in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what dividend he estimates will be paid to the Exchequer of the water and sewerage industry of  (a) England,  (b) Scotland  (c) Wales and  (d) Northern Ireland in each of the next four years expressed in (i) cash and (ii) percentage terms.

John Healey: No dividends were received by, or expected to be paid to, the Exchequer from water companies in England and Wales. The dividend paid by water companies in England and Wales is determined by companies within the framework of water regulation in England and Wales. The operation of the water industry in Scotland is a devolved matter for the Scottish Executive and in Northern Ireland is a matter for Northern Ireland Ministers, within the framework of the UK public expenditure system.